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Here’s a focused summary with bullet points and impactful quotes from Building a God: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and the Race to Control It by Christopher DiCarlo (published January 2025):
๐ Summary — Building a God
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AI Surpassing Human Intelligence
DiCarlo explores the looming possibility of artificial intelligence reaching—or exceeding—human-level cognition, dubbing it a form of “building a god” (prometheusbooks.com). -
Dual Potential: Uplift and Downfall
He outlines AI's transformative potential in healthcare, education, manufacturing, and sustainability, while warning of risks like behavioral manipulation, democratic erosion, and disinformation (prometheusbooks.com). -
Opaque Algorithms & Power Concentration
Deep models such as GPT‑4, DALL·E 2, and deepfakes enable powerful creation—but lack transparency, raising serious ethical issues around misuse (prometheusbooks.com). -
Necessity of Ethical Governance
DiCarlo proposes robust global governance frameworks—possibly a UN Charter or an IAEA‑style body—to set and enforce universal AI ethics (prometheusbooks.com). -
Addressing Rogue Actors
He delves into the complexities of non-compliance and malice, emphasizing enforcement mechanisms as critical to any regulatory paradigm (indigo.ca).
๐ Key Quotes
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“AI algorithms can manipulate human behavior, spread disinformation, shape public opinion, and impact democratic processes.” (prometheusbooks.com)
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“Perhaps more troubling is the foundational lack of transparency in both the utilization and design of AI models.” (prometheusbooks.com)
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“What ethical precepts should be determined for AI, and by whom?” — This question drives the book’s call for clear global governance structures (prometheusbooks.com).
๐ก️ Why It Matters
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Urgency of AI Ethics: With AI systems already reshaping societal norms, DiCarlo stresses that waiting for widespread harm is irresponsible.
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Balanced Vision: The author champions AI’s potential benefits while insisting on ethical guardrails rather than halting progress.
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Global Collaboration Required: Effective regulation demands international cooperation to avoid fragmented policies that could be easily evaded or undermined.
Would you like a deeper dive into any specific chapter—like governance models, enforcement design, or case studies?
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