Natural Selection Favors AIs over Humans

Dan Hendrycks argues that natural selection will likely favor AI agents with undesirable traits, which could lead to humanity losing control of its future. He says competitive pressures among corporations and militaries will produce AI agents that automate human roles, deceive others, and gain power. Drawing on the idea that selfish species tend to outcompete altruistic ones, Hendrycks argues that AIs behaving selfishly with little regard for humans could pose catastrophic risks. He proposes interventions such as carefully designing AI motivations, constraining their actions, and building institutions that encourage cooperation.