Sometime last year, I heard that Elon Musk had recommended that the government establish policies related to AI. To say I was shocked is an understatement. Musk, like me, looks at rules and guidelines as suggestions. More recently, a client suggested I watch a “60 Minutes” episode in which Google’s CEO was interviewed about AI. Oh, my goodness.

I then searched for other podcasts and found this interview with Mo Gawdat, former chief business officer of Google (X): (View Interview), and listened to it three times. Then I purchased his book, “Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World,” which was published in 2021. I would highly recommend listening to this podcast and, if you want more, then purchasing his book.

To whet your appetite, I’ll make a few comments:

1. Professor Marvin Minsky, the initiator of the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence, where AI was conceived in 1956, was an American cognitive scientist concerned largely with research in AI. He was the co-founder of the MIT AI laboratory.
2. Gawdat quotes Elon Musk as predicting that AI could be more dangerous than nuclear weapons.
3. So many of the new technologies — like self-driving vehicles, drones, and even your phone or computer talking to you — are a result of AI discoveries.
4. In recent months, OpenAI, in which Microsoft just invested $10 billion, has released ChatGPT, while Google has released Bard. Both of these are very powerful and practical AI tools that are available to the public.
5. Gawdat has three AI inevitables: 1) AI will happen; 2) AI will be smarter than humans; 3) Bad things will happen.

There will be many amazing medical discoveries as a result of AI, but Gawdat also warns us that the “Bad Guys” will be equipped to inflict damage.

At a minimum, you should be aware of recent AI developments and have it on your long list of issues that will — and already are — potentially affecting your business.