The possibility of autonomous weapon systems leading to the destruction of humanity raises concerns about the longevity of consciousness in the universe. It has been suggested that the absence of signals from extraterrestrial life could be due to the self-destruction of intelligent civilizations.
Although AI and automation may pose existential threats, humans are also optimistic about their potential for solving problems created by these technologies.
Despite the billions of things that exist in this world, it is amazing how much works as it does, including artificial intelligence, technology, and millions of other inventions, even if there are occasional suboptimal results.
Computer programmer and author Donald Knuth explains how programmers often prioritize efficiency over functionality at the wrong time and the consequences that can have.
The optimization of a program is often underestimated by programmers who assume that the hardest parts to write will be the hardest for the computer to execute. However, identifying the parts of the program that consume the most computational resources can help compilers run more efficiently.