Toyama: “AI doomsday is definitely possible.”

An AI researcher recently resigned from Anthropic after warning that artificial intelligence could threaten humanity. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has dismissed AI-driven catastrophe as a “doomsday hoax.” 

University of Michigan School of Information professor Kentaro Toyama, an expert on the risks of AI, joined NPR affiliate WEMU to discuss whether AI fears are legitimate, and what the government can do to reduce the risks. 

“I think that an AI doomsday is definitely possible--if not right now, then in the near future,” Toyama says. “But in terms of even smaller scale disasters, any critical infrastructure that's connected to the internet is vulnerable to AI attacks. And those targets are the kind that we all see in science fiction, like air traffic control systems, power grids, water supplies, police departments, telecom networks, and so on. If you take any of them down, it's chaos for thousands of people, at the least, and some of it will be fatal.” 

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Listen to “W.K. Kellogg Professor at University of Michigan says AI threat to humanity is legitimate” on 89.1 WEMU. 

Learn more about Kentaro Toyama by visiting his UMSI faculty profile.