Bridging Today and the Future of Humanity: AI Safety in 2024 and Beyond

2024-10-09

arXiv.org

AI Summary

Existing AI safety research lacks a civilizational-scale, systematic framework to address long-term risks posed by the rapid advancement of generative AI. Method: This paper introduces a “future-pulls-present” paradigm, situating AI safety within the historical trajectory of human civilizational evolution and anchoring analysis in the ultimate societal vision of “ubiquitous connectivity.” It develops a vision-driven risk forecasting framework, cross-temporal technological evolution modeling, and a safety-alignment diagnostic methodology to systematically assess misalignments between current practices and long-term civilizational requirements. Contribution/Results: The study identifies distinctive structural risks unique to the 2020s—arising from generative AI’s scale, autonomy, and integration—and distills concrete, high-priority research directions. By bridging macro-historical foresight with actionable technical governance, it delivers a pragmatic, forward-looking strategic roadmap for global AI safety policy and alignment efforts.

Technology Category

• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Safety, Robustness & Trustworthiness
• Humans and AI: Learning Human Values and Preferences
• Natural Language Processing: Safety and Robustness

Application Category

• Social Networks and Social Media: Generative AI / large language models and their impact on social systems
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Economic ramifications for generative AI infrastructure and applications
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Agentic search

Abstract

The advancements in generative AI inevitably raise concerns about the associated risks and safety implications, which, in return, catalyzes significant progress in AI safety. However, as this field continues to evolve, a critical question arises: are our current efforts aligned with the long-term goal of human history and civilization? This paper presents a blueprint for an advanced human society and leverages this vision to guide contemporary AI safety efforts. It outlines a future where the Internet of Everything becomes reality, and creates a roadmap of significant technological advancements towards this envisioned future. For each stage of the advancements, this paper forecasts potential AI safety issues that humanity may face. By projecting current efforts against this blueprint, we examine the alignment between the present efforts and the long-term needs. We also identify gaps in current approaches and highlight unique challenges and missions that demand increasing attention from AI safety practitioners in the 2020s, addressing critical areas that must not be overlooked in shaping a responsible and promising future of AI. This vision paper aims to offer a broader perspective on AI safety, emphasizing that our current efforts should not only address immediate concerns but also anticipate potential risks in the expanding AI landscape, thereby promoting a more secure and sustainable future in human civilization.

Problem

• AI Safety
• Generative AI
• Future Challenges

Innovation

• AI safety
• interconnected future
• sustainable presence