Martin Wolf

way, then there is an existential question, obviously, is what is humanity for?

And what will human beings think they're for?

So when I thought about this, and I'll leave aside the other obvious dangers, the creation of pathogens we can't possibly manage, the creation of armies, AI-run armies, which are completely bot armies, which could control

The human population is sort of just flesh and blood.

All this is absolutely terrifying.

And we're dancing into this insouciantly under the direction of four or five geniuses and their companies.

And that's what's happening.

my instinct, probably those of an old man with grandchildren is, it should all be closed down.

But of course, it's not going to happen.

I do think it's transformative.

I think it's going to be transformative in business.

It's pretty clear they're going to be powerful business models.

I can perfectly well understand that 10 years from now, there will be no Martin Wolfs because the computer will do it so much better, though there'll be less fun.

I think we just have to say we are stepping into the unknown.

We should do our best to work out what our big dangers are and focus on them.

With our current politics, that's impossible, clearly impossible.

I think it is a huge moment in human history, possibly the single most important invention, and there have been some very, very important ones, and humanity will change profoundly.

Humanity was changed by writing.

profoundly.

It was transformed by publishing, by the ability to print.