Bill Maher fears artificial intelligence.
The HBO “Real Time” host said as much on his podcast “Club Random” on Monday, calling the rise of AI the biggest fear in the modern world.
“I think this is the most important issue of all so far. Yes, there’s Trump and nuclear and that. But really, it’s AI…I fear that more than anything, and I think it’s more dire than anything.”
Maher spoke on Monday’s podcast with Lisa Kudrow, who is currently an Emmy nominee for Season 3 of the long-running (but infrequently released) comedy series “The Comeback.” This year, Kudrow and co-creator Michael Patrick King took aim at artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry, making her protagonist Valerie Cherish the star of a new sitcom written by the Gen-AI program.
“This year’s AI theme is a perfect third-act theme for this moment, this time of year,” Maher said. “That’s very true financially.”
“Of course, given the rate of progress in AI, we’re probably two weeks ahead of reality,” he added.
You can watch the entire video below.
Maher went on to praise “The Comeback” while further explaining his concerns about AI. At one point, he said that two weeks ago he intended to do a full set of shows without jokes, but instead chose to make a point by talking seriously about the dangers of artificial intelligence. In the end, he chose not to do it.
“It’s not just about AI,” Kudlow added to the conversation. “It’s man-made and we don’t really know what it is and we don’t know enough to put guardrails on it. That’s what you’re saying.”
Kudlow went on to talk about keeping AI as a tool under human oversight to counter Ma’s fears. But the “Club Random” host shared concerns that go beyond the realm of entertainment.
“Maybe in a few years, a few years from now, we’ll be cured of a terrible disease that would otherwise have killed us. And the next year, robots will take over completely and nuke the world, because in their calculations, the problem is with us,” Maher said. “There’s a reason[Jeffrey]Hinton, the godfather of AI, said there was a 10 to 20 percent chance of extinction.”
“That’s right,” Kudrow replied. “That’s possible.”
“Musk once said, ‘This is really scary,’ right?” Maher continued.
“I know,” Kudrow said. “But what are you going to do?”
