Henry Kissinger's Final Warning: Preparing for an AI-Dominated Future

Eric Schmidt on Henry Kissinger's surprising warning to the world on AI

Humans are beginning to really reckon with the possibility of sharing our planet with some far smarter non-corporeal entities. That outcome raises a lot of big questions: How do we begin to lay the groundwork for a good relationship with these AIs both in our labs and in our governing bodies? How do we train them to make discoveries and help resolve conflicts with human values in mind? It's these kinds of weighty issues that former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, former Microsoft executive Craig Mundie, and former secretary of state Henry Kissinger confront in their new book, Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit. I spoke to Schmidt about the book and about his collaboration with Kissinger, who worked on the book up until his death on November 29, 2023 -- almost exactly a year after the release of ChatGPT. The title of the book has a biblical overtone. Can you tell me about the choice of the name? Henry, Doctor Kissinger, always liked short titles. He died, unfortunately, before we chose this title. He was very interested in sort of human rebirth, if you will. So the reason we put the subtitle "AI, Hope and the Human Spirit" was because ultimately, that is how humanity works. The arrival of a nonhuman intelligence that rivals human intelligence is a very, very big deal. Maybe not this year, but over 10 or 20 years.

Henry Kissinger Book: It's Time To Prepare for 'Superhuman' People To Control Earth

The prospect raises important questions about the need for humans to consider biological adaptations to keep pace. In Henry Kissinger's final book, "Genesis," the deceased former secretary of state has presented a thought-provoking examination of the role of humans in a future dominated by artificial intelligence. Written with a former Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, and a longtime Microsoft senior executive, Craig Mundie, the book addresses the challenges and ethical considerations surrounding AI advancements. The authors say mankind should prepare for the day when they are no longer in charge of the planet, having given way to AI. The rise of AI creating "superhuman" people is a major topic of concern in "Genesis," the final book by Kissinger, a longtime diplomatic strategist who died last year at age 100. The authors discuss the potential impact of AI on humanity, predicting a future where AI's capabilities may surpass human abilities, according to the Washington Times, which procurred an early copy. The prospect raises important questions about the need for humans to consider biological adaptations to keep pace with advanced technologies. The book explores the concept of "Artificial Humans," suggesting that humanity must prepare to co-exist with machines that might surpass us as primary planetary actors. "Biological engineering efforts designed for tighter human fusion with machines are already underway," they write. "Altering the genetic code of some humans to become superhuman carries with it other moral and evolutionary risks. If AI is responsible for the augmentation of human mental capacity, it could create in humanity a simultaneous biological and psychological reliance on 'foreign' intelligence." While technological integration is inevitable, the authors advocate for machines to mirror human characteristics rather than making humans more machine-like. This approach aims to preserve human qualities while managing the challenges of integrating diverse and globally varied human cultural norms into machine learning systems.