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Aliens have been attracting the world's attention for decades, but there's still no concrete evidence of a first-hand encounter with them. Some researchers suggest that artificial intelligence (AI) could be one reason we haven't seen them.
Artificial Intelligence The 'Great Filter' In Potential Alien Encounter?
In a new study, "Is Artificial Intelligence the Great Filter that makes advanced technical civilizations rare in the universe?" Michael Garrett from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester examines the theory that Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), which develops from AI, is the Great Filter.
Some believe that our technological species cannot become multi-planetary because of the Great Filter. That's problematic because a species with a single home is more vulnerable to extinction or stagnation. Without a backup world, a species is racing against time, Garrett claimed.
"Concerns about Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) eventually going rogue is considered a major issue - combatting this possibility over the next few years is a growing research pursuit for leaders in the field," Garrett wrote.
The problem would be a lot simpler if AI had no advantages. However, it offers a plethora of advantages, ranging from enhanced medical diagnostics and imaging to safer transportation networks. For governments, the challenge is to maximize benefits while minimizing harm.
According to Garrett, this is particularly true in fields like national security and the military, where ethical and responsible development is crucial.
The issue is that neither our governments nor we are ready. AI is unlike anything else in the world, and despite our best efforts, we are unable to fully grasp its nature and predict its future.
And any other biological species that evolve AI would also be in the same situation. ASI could become universal with the advent of AI, making it a candidate for the Great Filter.
What Is a Great Filter?
The Great Filter states that sentient lifeforms in interstellar space must first undergo several crucial steps, at least one of which must be extremely unlikely. The Great Filter's central thesis is that at least one barrier is so high that almost no species can overcome it and go to the next.
Although the phrase "Great Filter" alludes to the deliberate actions of an external force, the concept is more about analyzing the relative chances of particular occurrences occurring or not occurring throughout time.
Perhaps abiogenesis - the emergence of life from death - is extremely rare. Maybe the Great Filter is what makes this event so extremely rare. Alternatively, life may start spontaneously regularly, but most never develop into anything more complex than simple single-celled organisms. Perhaps there are billions of microbes in the universe, but they don't construct starships.
On the other hand, the Great Filter could result from technology itself. Maybe advanced civilizations always destroy themselves through some mad technology, like a doomsday contraption, nanotechnology, or malicious artificial intelligence.
The Great Filter is merely a theory. However, it logically makes sense on many levels and provides a solid solution for the Fermi Paradox.
The Fermi Paradox is the absence of evidence for extraterrestrial life in a universe that ought to be teeming with it based on statistical calculations. However, we detect no evidence of extraterrestrial technology or hear extraterrestrial voices through our radio telescopes.
Numerous theories have been proposed to address the Fermi Paradox, but none have been validated. In the 1990s, Robin Hanson developed what is now known as the Great Filter as an additional theory to explain why we seem to be alone in the universe.
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