It's the moment in science fiction everyone fears. The supercomputer goes rogue in 2001: A Space Odyssey.¹ Skynet starts a nuclear war in Terminator.²

Scientists call it the singularity. When robots take over. An explosion of new AI technology in 2023 raises concerns this moment is getting closer.

Late last year, OpenAI made waves with a powerful new chatbot. ChatGPT gobbled up a massive 570GB of online data and learned to write in a convincingly human way.³

It became the fastest-growing app ever and is now available to one billion users via Microsoft's online tools.⁴

Elon Musk told Rishi Sunak that AI is "the most disruptiveCausing radical change in an existing industry or market. force in history." He met the UK PM for an AI summit at Bletchley ParkThe top-secret base of English codebreakers during World War Two. , where the world's first electronic computer was built.⁵

During World War Two, Alan Turing was one of the codebreakers at Bletchley. He devised the Turing test to see if a computer could convince users into thinking it was human.

In 2023, AI developers say their bots have passed the test.⁶ They write essays and chat fluently. Others are less convinced. OpenGPT can't count and "hallucinates" non-existent facts.⁷

But it is smart enough to put jobs at risk. Online earnings for writing have dropped 10% since ChatGPT launched.⁸ Artists worry about the rise of text-to-image AI models like DALL-E.

In March, an AI image of Pope Francis in a white puffer jacket went viral.⁹ In April, social media was hooked to a Star Wars trailer in the style of Wes Anderson.¹⁰

This sounds harmless enough. But an AI deepfake of an explosion at the PentagonThe headquarters of the US Defence Department, so-called because it has five sides. In 1967, peace protestors attempted unsuccessfully to levitate it (making it rise into the air) until all evil emissions had fled, in the hope of ending the Vietnam War. rattled the stock market.¹¹ AI audio disrupted elections in Slovakia in September. AI expert Toby Walsh says misinformation will be a big challenge next year as four billion people vote in elections.¹²

It is not all doom and gloom. AI now helps surgeons find brain tumours.¹³ It is making medicine, building spacecrafts and analysing climate models.¹⁴

But even the AI researchers seem rattled by the pace of change. An open letter in March called for a six-month pause.¹⁵ In May, they warned of the "risk of extinctionCompletely dying out.."¹⁶

Research continues regardless. This month, Google unveiled Gemini. It claims this is the most powerful AI yet and can "think more carefully" and outperform human experts.¹⁷

Yes: Computer scientist Ben Goertzel says we are less than a decade away from superintelligent computers.¹⁸ Critics argue the industry must be regulated to make sure AI stays under control and works for us.

No: The singularity is a superstition in the age of chatbots. AI is used for specific tasks. It's never in charge. We should be more worried about job losses, disinformation and the threat to democracy.

Or... The singularity is already here. Machines do many things far better than humans. As they improve, we give them more responsibility and power. Our lives are ruled by technology, and the robots have won.

Disruptive - Causing radical change in an existing industry or market.

Bletchley Park - The top-secret base of English codebreakers during World War Two.

Pentagon - The headquarters of the US Defence Department, so-called because it has five sides. In 1967, peace protestors attempted unsuccessfully to levitate it (making it rise into the air) until all evil emissions had fled, in the hope of ending the Vietnam War.

Extinction - Completely dying out.