Khaberni - Many leading figures in technology engaged in the artificial intelligence sector and its associated technologies have begun building a set of underground bunkers and shelters to protect them in case something threatens life on the surface of the Earth, in a move reminiscent of what happens in science fiction movies, according to a report published by the "BBC".
This wave includes many prominent names such as Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of "Meta", who owns two similar facilities, one of which is "Koolau Ranch" in Kauai Island in the Hawaiian islands, and the other recently purchased in Palo Alto, California.
In addition to Reid Hoffman, co-founder of "LinkedIn", who frequently talks about securing the end of the world by owning underground shelters, pointing out that more than half of the world's wealthy own such shelters.
And it seems that this trend among tech billionaires in particular is not random, as they agree on it despite their differences in many other matters. Why are these people striving to build underground shelters to protect them? And do they know something about artificial intelligence that we don’t?
Global Trend
Ilya Sutskever, chief scientist and co-founder at "OpenAI", talks about his company's readiness to build an underground bunker to protect its top scientists when developing general artificial intelligence technology, which he sees as something his company is close to achieving.
Sam Altman, CEO of "OpenAI", earlier stated that he intends to join Peter Thiel in his underground shelter located in New Zealand in the event of a global catastrophe threatening his personal security.
Perhaps there is no clearer example of readiness for this unknown catastrophic event than Mark Zuckerberg, who began building the "Koolau Ranch" shelter in 2014 and has not yet completed it, as it spans more than 460 square meters and has its own power and food supplies.
While Zuckerberg previously affirmed during one of the conversations that he does not build an underground shelter in preparation for the end of the world, he builds an underground house. However, the secrecy surrounding this project, along with his acquisition of 11 properties in Crescent Park neighborhood in Palo Alto, California, with a total underground area of 650 square meters, raised more suspicions.
Elon Musk, CEO of "X" platform and "Tesla" and one of the world's wealthiest individuals, views this matter differently. Despite lacking information about owning an underground facility similar to Zuckerberg's, he has repeatedly affirmed that fleeing Earth and building Martian colonies is the most suitable solution for him.
Therefore, he is earnestly striving to develop all the technologies that make building these colonies and living on them possible in the coming years in preparation for what may happen.
Fear of General Artificial Intelligence
Many experts in artificial intelligence, including its spiritual fathers, talk about general artificial intelligence technology with fear, as it is the cornerstone for a future technology in which computer intelligence surpasses human intelligence and we become unable to keep up with it.
Therefore, Sutskever previously linked "OpenAI"’s building of an underground shelter with the development and market launch of this technology.
The idea of super artificial intelligence that surpasses human capabilities is not a momentary notion, as it first appeared in 1958 under the concept of "singularity" discussed by Hungarian-born mathematician John von Neumann.
The reason for the fear of general artificial intelligence technologies stems from their ability to surpass human concepts. While Musk sees it as beneficial to everyone, from curing intractable diseases and solving fuel and food problems to reducing unemployment, experts fear that such technology could fall into the hands of criminals or even that the technology itself might turn insane, as happens in science fiction movies.
Therefore, many government institutions try to impose restrictions on the development of artificial intelligence technologies, in addition to the restrictions that companies impose. As Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the "Web", previously explained in a conversation with "BBC", companies must have a way to completely stop artificial intelligence in case of any catastrophe.
Unfounded Fears
Neil Lawrence, a professor of machine learning at "Cambridge", disagrees with the global fears of general artificial intelligence technology, saying that the idea of having general artificial intelligence is itself unfounded.
Lawrence adds: "This idea generally resembles choosing the right vehicle depending on the context. I used an Airbus to travel to Kenya; I use a car to get to the university every day, and I walk to the cafeteria… There is no vehicle capable of doing all of this."
Lawrence believes that talking about general artificial intelligence is more of a distraction than a productive discussion about future technology, and it would be better to talk about the technologies we already have.
Vince Lynch, CEO of "IV.AI" based in California, agrees, describing the talk about general artificial intelligence technologies as "great marketing", and adds, "If you are the company that builds the smartest thing ever, people will want to give you money".
