What happened
In a Nikkei Deep Insight column, Washington bureau chief Takeshi Kawanami writes that J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led the atomic bomb's development, recalled the scripture line 'I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds' after watching humanity's first nuclear test in New Mexico in July 1945.
Why it matters
The column frames that same destructive shadow as the one now cast by artificial intelligence, and calls for humanity's collective wisdom to be gathered as superintelligence approaches.
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The column reaches back to July 1945, when the physicist who led the atomic bomb's development watched humanity's first nuclear test in New Mexico and recalled the scripture line 'I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' That image of a creator confronting what he has unleashed is the frame the piece applies to artificial intelligence.
The column's argument is that AI carries a destructive shadow akin to nuclear technology, and that as superintelligence approaches, humanity's collective wisdom must be brought together. The piece is written by Nikkei's Washington bureau chief, Takeshi Kawanami.
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