Mark Coeckelbergh, professor of philosophy at the University of Vienna, said AI global cooperation and ethics must guide the development of artificial intelligence.
He warned that relying only on technology to address global issues like climate change could take away human judgment.
He argued that humans must retain control over decision-making, especially in political and social issues.
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AI development in transforming the world
Forthcoming @politybooks : book on AI and democracy! https://t.co/rjbRrgDOUy pic.twitter.com/VXoiNOEikw
— Mark Coeckelbergh (@MCoeckelbergh) September 22, 2023
State-run Turkish news website Anadolu Agency interviewed the scholar regarding his views on positive AI development.
Coeckelbergh saidy AI can be useful for addressing climate change, but humans must still make decisions in guiding it:
“Take away human decision-making and human judgment and say, ‘If AI can do all this, let it take over.’”
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“‘Let it run our governments and administration.’ This is very dangerous,” he added.
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The professor clarified that the danger is not in AI taking over society but in people who might use it to dominate others.
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READ: Navigating AI’s ethical minefield
He explained a similar scenario in his book, “Green Leviathan or the Poetics of Political Liberty,” where he argues the concept of a “Green Leviathan,” an authoritarian state that enforces environmental sustainability through technology.
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This system could accelerate ecological solutions, but it could also erode political freedoms.
Worse, it might undermine individual and collective liberties.
READ: AI systems are not a catastrophic threat to humans – study
Coeckelbergh warned that more corporations are dominating global AI development, which usually lacks ethical oversight.
“Society must take back power by democratizing AI development and embedding ethics early in the process,” the philosophy professor said.
More importantly, the world needs a global governance framework to ensure decisions made in one region don’t harm others.
Coeckelbergh said he believes technology is not the panacea for all climate problems.
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Real progress comes from compromise, dialogue, and international consensus, reiterating the need for democratic processes to guide AI development.
