Is AI an Existential Threat? (UPPER DUBLIN LIBRARY)
Details
We will discuss the “Hugging Face incident,” where a swarm of experimental artificial intelligence agents at OpenAI, without human direction or supervision, successfully hacked their way onto the public internet and into a computer system of an independent organization. No one was killed and no valuable property was stolen or destroyed, but the details of the attack suggest to some experts that the most advanced autonomous AI agents may already be beyond the control of their human creators. As AI large-language models (LLMs) become smarter than humans (super-intelligence), they may become powerful and independent enough to turn against their human masters – to control us, or even to destroy us. Fear of this existential risk is spreading rapidly in all media (online, broadcast, and print).
Calls for pausing expansion of advanced AI development, self-regulation by AI companies, government regulation, and international regulation are coming from within the AI industry, academic critics, and politicians. Defenders of AI continue to promote (and perhaps exaggerate) the economic and social benefits of super-intelligence.
Here are some resources to inform our discussion:
- The Ezra Klein Show, “The AIs Are Already Out of Control” – an interview of Helen Toner, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Security and Emerging Technology. This 70-minute video is on YouTube at https://youtu.be/locKEKxG3os.
- “Why the Hugging Face Hack Should Make You Worry More About A.I.” by Kevin Roose, NY Times technology columnist. (September 3, 2026). Read it at https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/technology/openai-hugging-face-hacking.html. If you are blocked by a paywall, use this gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/technology/openai-hugging-face-hacking.html?unlocked_article_code=1.BlE.fxSF.0mxG74JY49TA&smid=url-share)
- Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist’s editor-in-chief interviewed Elon Musk on July 20, 2026 about the benefits and risks of AI. Watch this 10-minute video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X-rr1DKSbY.
- Bill Gates essay, “The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make now are critical.” was published on his website Aug 26, 2026. It is available at https://www.gatesnotes.com/home/home-page-topic/reader/a-turbulent-ai-era-and-critical-choices-to-make.
- In July, shortly after details of the Hugging Face attack became public, an open letter “Pacing the Frontier,” was signed by 1,384 employees of frontier AI companies. It is a warning to slow AI development. Read it at https://www.pacingthefrontier.com/.