Paper ID: 2410.18114

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

Shanshan Han

Significant progress has been made in AI safety. However, as this field thrives, a critical question emerges: Are our current efforts aligned with the broader perspective of history and human civilization? This paper presents a blueprint for an advanced human society and leverages this vision to guide contemporary AI safety efforts. We outline a future where the Internet of Everything becomes reality, and create a roadmap that represents significant technological advancements towards this envisioned future. For each stage of advancement, we forecast potential AI safety issues that humanity may face. By projecting current efforts against this blueprint, we examine the alignment between the present motivations and long-term needs. We 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 safe and responsible future for AI development. This vision paper aims to offer a broader perspective on AI safety, emphasizing that our efforts should not only address immediate concerns but also anticipate potential risks in the expanding AI landscape, thereby fostering AI's role in promoting a more secure and sustainable future for human civilization.

Submitted: Oct 9, 2024