The real risk of AI is how humans use it

As the US and China race to develop and deploy AI, the biggest risks may come not from the technology itself, but from how humans choose to use it. Speaking on a Global Stage panel during the 81st UN General Assembly, Ian Bremmer examines how the AI race is reshaping geopolitics and changing perceptions of the technology.

Ian points to growing differences in public attitudes toward AI, noting that Americans are increasingly uncertain or fearful about its use while Chinese attitudes are more optimistic. But he rejects framing AI risk around the probability that the technology will destroy humanity. “It’s not AI that’s going to blow us up,” Bremmer says. Instead, he warns that dangerous outcomes could result from decisions made by governments and companies. “If there’s one thing that we need to do to govern this effectively,” Bremmer says, “it’s to recognize that we are the ones with the power and we are the ones therefore with the obligation.”

This conversation is presented by GZERO Media in partnership with Microsoft. The Global Stage series convenes global leaders for critical conversations on the geopolitical forces reshaping our world.