Alarmist predictions of impending doom, whether from climate change, asteroid impacts, or artificial intelligence, are often rooted in the predictors' own fears of mortality, according to a review of the BBC program 'The Future With Hannah Fry.' TV critic Christopher Stevens argues that these doomsday scenarios are not new and that humanity has consistently faced similar anxieties throughout history.
Stevens points to predictions of global catastrophe from various experts, including climate change campaigners warning of rising waters, astrophysicists anticipating meteorite strikes, and virus watchers predicting new pandemics. He also notes that AI analysts, such as Berkeley professor Stuart Russell, have warned that superintelligent robots could fundamentally alter human civilization, with Russell stating this outcome would be "almost worse than extinction."
However, Stevens contends that the timing of these predictions often reveals their personal nature. He suggests that younger forecasters tend to predict doom within decades, while older individuals project it further into the future, correlating with their own lifespans. He likens this phenomenon to the character Private Fraser from the British sitcom 'Dad's Army,' whose catchphrase "We're all doomed!" was humorous because he was elderly.
The review highlights segments from the show where Professor Hannah Fry explored scientific research, such as examining a slice of mouse brain to count neurons and observing a mechanical grabber responding to verbal commands. Stevens downplays the alarming nature of these findings, suggesting their primary impact might be on rodents and comparing the mechanical grabber's abilities unfavorably to funfair claws.
Stevens recalls similar panic in the 1990s following IBM's Deep Blue chess-playing computer's defeat of Garry Kasparov. At the time, computer scientists proclaimed that AI had surpassed human intelligence. However, Stevens notes that this did not lead to civilization's collapse, but rather inspired more gifted chess players to emerge as the game evolved.
The review also references computing pioneer Alan Turing's alleged fears about killer algorithms taking control, as quoted by Professor Russell. Stevens characterizes Turing as a "miserabilist," alluding to his tragic death and his fascination with fairy tales as an example of how beliefs can be shaped by narrative.
Ultimately, Stevens concludes that the alarmists' desire for a catastrophic narrative often overshadows more optimistic outcomes, suggesting that humanity's ability to adapt and evolve, as seen in chess and technology, mitigates the most dire predictions.