Doom hides in every corner of Richard Rhodes’s home office, where he keeps a collection of chilling artifacts related to the atomic bomb. A framed photo of soldiers manipulating what seems to be ordinary water heaters are actually thermonuclear weapons. A black-and-white print captures the haunting image of an amoeba-like figure right after an atomic bomb detonates. And hanging from the ceiling is a plastic model of the Hindenburg, a constant reminder of the destructive power of technology.
Rhodes, an 86-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winning author known for his book “The Making of the Atomic Bomb,” attracts a certain type of AI researcher. These researchers, who believe that their creations have the potential to destroy humanity, view Rhodes’s office as a convergence of cultural and technological worlds. Rhodes himself is eagerly anticipating the release of Christopher Nolan’s film “Oppenheimer,” based on the Manhattan Project, even though it’s not directly based on his book.
I first came across Rhodes’s book when speaking with an AI researcher who carries it around as a reminder of the responsibility to push the boundaries of technological progress. Since then, I’ve encountered references to it on podcasts and in conversations among those who fear the destructive potential of artificial intelligence. The book serves as a source of inspiration for many working on AI policy, and some employees at the AI company Anthropic compare themselves to modern-day Robert Oppenheimers.
Like those before them, AI enthusiasts and innovators grapple with moral dilemmas as they develop this technology. While they strive for progress, they worry about the possibility of AI surpassing human intelligence and causing havoc. Rhodes acknowledges the similarities between the work at Los Alamos during the development of the atomic bomb and the current state of affairs in Silicon Valley. Both have the potential to bring both peril and hope.
Rhodes has stated that AI could be as transformative as nuclear energy and has watched with interest as major companies in Silicon Valley compete to build and deploy AI. Some argue that AI is inevitable, similar to the discovery of nuclear fission and the subsequent development of the atomic bomb. The logic behind this argument is that democratic nations cannot afford to pause or wait for regulations, fearing they may fall behind in the global race for AI dominance.
Despite the potential dangers, the drive to create and build persists. Rhodes explains that all great scientists have a formative experience in their early years that propels them towards a path of pushing boundaries in mathematics and science. The loss of a loved one or a traumatic event often sparks a deep fascination with measurement and quantification. For example, Enrico Fermi’s obsession with measuring aspects of his life arose after the death of his brother. Leo Szilard’s fixation on rockets as a means to save the planet was born from his childhood fear of the sun dying out.
Rhodes believes that AI researchers and founders should embrace the concept of complementarity from quantum physics. According to Rhodes, Niels Bohr, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, imparted this concept to Oppenheimer during the Manhattan Project. Complementarity suggests that objects have conflicting properties that cannot be observed simultaneously. Rhodes sees this idea as a reminder that a weapon of mass destruction can also bring about positive change, just as a tool designed for good can lead to catastrophe. The true fear surrounding AI, for Rhodes, lies in the uncertainty of the path we are on.
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