Fears concerning artificial intelligence, AI, seem to be on the rise among educators, economists, and government officials. Some scientists too. Will AI allow students to cheat more easily? Will jobs be lost to increased automation? Will such systems achieve some degree of sentience, and perhaps imperil humanity? Are those fears justified, or are they just science fiction-influenced paranoia?
As for the fear that AI will achieve sentience, whether benevolent or malevolent, that seems to be based on an unstated application of what is known as Moore’s law. Named after the digital electronics guru Gordon Moore, the founder of Intel, Moore’s law states that technological advances (particularly with the computing capacity of integrated circuits) will occur at a predictable rate — always upward.
