Disaster is still better than AI

Why it matters

Geoffrey Hinton, a Nobel laureate in physics for neural network research, told The Guardian that humanity might have been better off never developing AI and warned of a possible large-scale incident, such as a temporary blackout of financial or power systems, within the next couple of years. The author of this piece responds by arguing that such a near-term disaster would actually be preferable to continued gradual adoption of the technology. The reasoning is that only immediate pain would push people to abandon AI, whereas a quiet buildup would entrench dependence, waste energy, and displace intellectual and natural life. The author opposes AI-safety and ethical AI initiatives, claiming they merely mask small dangers while deepening integration, and even argues academic mathematics would benefit from destruction, since it had already become a theorem-proving industry rather than a community using reasoning for good. The piece also accuses tech leaders, media, and elites of exaggerating disaster fears for profit and control.