AI can transform humans intobeggars: Nobel laureate Yunus

Nobel laureate and Bangladeshi socialentrepreneur Muhammad Yunus today said Artificial Intelligence has the potential to transform 'self-sustaining' human beings into beggars.

"People who are behind AI are saying the state can give an universal basic income to those who lost jobs due to AI andsmart technology. I ask myself a question. Is this the fate ofhuman beings that finally we became all beggars?" he said, addressing the eighth Social Business Day held at the Infosyscampus here.

"The pride of a human being is to lead a self-sustaining life. We have the power to take care of ourselves and the world, but now, AI and smart technologies have the potential of transforming human beings into a whole community of beggars," Yunus added.

He also said AI and smart technology would displace humanbeings as the best of the specimens on planet earth as theycannot match their prowess and abilities.

"Human being is supposed to be the best of the specimens on this planet, but AI and smart technologies are becoming smarter and smarter. In this scenario, who will be number one?Not us, certainly because of our biological limitations. Wewill be relegated to a different level of status. Is this thefate that we have to meet?" he asked.

Yunus also feared the potential of smart technology and AI to wipe out human beings in whatever way they could including by way of a super diplomatic intelligence.

"Machines become smarter and smarter, and smarter. So, machines would look at human beings as some kind of cockroaches on this planet...They may think why should human beings exist who are doing nothing? They may clean us up in smarter ways, including super diplomatic way to ensure humans'self-destruction," he said.

Yunus also said there is a need for putting a cap on the use of AI and smart technologies, because they both are a blessing and a curse.

"Sadly, nobody is drawing the line when a blessing turns into a curse. We have to scream and tell, one cannot cross theline. Technology creators will have to tell us about the purpose of creating technologies. Is it being done for blessing or cursing beings," he said.