The Blurred Lines: Is Science Fiction Still Fiction in the Age of AI?

Science fiction has long been a reflection of humanity's hopes, fears, and aspirations. From Jules Verne's steam-powered submarines to Isaac Asimov's robots that think for themselves, science fiction has consistently pushed the boundaries of what we thought was possible.

In a recent conversation with a dear friend, I've encountered an intriguing debate: "Are we there yet?" Do we need to worry about AI taking over, or are we still far from achieving a true advanced self-motivated Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) entity?

This article aims to explore this question and provide a holistic perspective on the current state of AI.

The Current State of AI

Generative AI, machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and Computer Vision have significantly progressed. However, we're not yet at the point where AGI has taken over. We're still trying to implement specialized AI agents and tools that provide great capabilities for businesses and society about the status quo. if you've seen any recent Tech Giants events (in Q2 2024) you'll understand what I mean by that!

The Missing Piece: Infinite Clean Free Energy?

So what else distances us from Humans being taken over by AI?

The answer is Infinite clean free energy is what's missing to power all that craziness, our modern GPU-intensive data centers thanks to NVidia, Other sorts of computing needs emerging in multiple other forms and shapes as the Neural Chips rise, and global connectivity ie: Super Duper Low Latency High Bandwidth networks probably 6G? This is where science fiction meets reality, as we explore the challenges of achieving all that.

The Singularity Conundrum

Big Brother fears arise when AI software has access to every camera and every other public and private sensor (IoT) on the globe combined with the ability to make decisions that punish or start wars. However, this again requires AGI to surpass human intelligence, leading to exponential growth in technological advancements plus infinite free clean power to be self-contained

So even if science achieves the state-of-the-art AGI milestone, some heroes can still pull the plug, just like in Hollywood movies.

The Tony Stark Arc Reactor Conundrum

In reality, achieving clean infinite power is hit by pure physics challenges like plasma containment and magnetic confinement problems of materials science. Fusion reactions require creating a plasma state (about 150 million degrees Celsius) and containing it with magnetic fields to trap and stabilize the hot gas – a difficult task. That and we didn't even talk about scaling that and making it safely mobile!

Conclusion:

So, where are we now?

On one hand, AI researchers are trying their best to get to the Baby to PhD intelligence level but haven't (just yet) surpassed overall human intelligence.

On the other hand, We're far from reaching the state of clean infinite power due to scientific challenges.

In conclusion, the equation for AI takeover is:

Equation for AI Takeover = Singularity + Mobile Fusion Reactors

Finally, We must continue to push the boundaries of science and technology to unlock the full potential of AI and as always we will find ways to control it and regulate it. But for now, we're stuck in this limbo, waiting for the breakthroughs that will bring us closer to achieving our goals.

So whether you follow the hype or not! Just keep up the good work you do for our communities and families!

About the Author

Meet Amr Salem, a technologist at heart who brings a unique blend of innovation and expertise to his work. Born in Cairo, Egypt, Amr currently holds the position of Distinguished Engineer- AI | Cloud | SRE | Solutions Architect at Verizon.

Amr has honed his skills through extensive experience in client innovation centers, global technology services, and working alongside innovation teams. His diverse talents and dedication make him a valuable asset in the technology industry and a source of inspiration for aspiring writers.