Threats by artificial intelligence to human health and human existence

• Published in: BMJ global health Vol. 8; no. 5; p. e010435
• Main Authors: Federspiel, Frederik, Mitchell, Ruth, Asokan, Asha, Umana, Carlos, McCoy, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01.05.2023; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Publishing Group
• Subjects: Access to information; Analysis; Artificial Intelligence; Automation; Big Data; Election results; Explosives; Facial recognition technology; Female; Health disparities; Humans; Labor, Obstetric; Power; Precautionary principle; Pregnancy; Presidential elections; Public Health; Robotics; Sanctions; Social networks; Society; Surveillance; Weapons; China; Public Health
• ISSN: 2059-7908; 2059-7908
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-010435

While artificial intelligence (AI) offers promising solutions in healthcare, it also poses a number of threats to human health and well-being via social, political, economic and security-related determinants of health. We describe three such main ways misused narrow AI serves as a threat to human health: through increasing opportunities for control and manipulation of people; enhancing and dehumanising lethal weapon capacity and by rendering human labour increasingly obsolescent. We then examine self-improving ‘artificial general intelligence’ (AGI) and how this could pose an existential threat to humanity itself. Finally, we discuss the critical need for effective regulation, including the prohibition of certain types and applications of AI, and echo calls for a moratorium on the development of self-improving AGI. We ask the medical and public health community to engage in evidence-based advocacy for safe AI, rooted in the precautionary principle.