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Robots to Destroy Human Race, Expert Warns

File photo - A robot from the movie is on display for the premier of the motion picture Terminator 3 "Rise of the Machines" June 30, 2003 in west Los Angeles. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)
File photo - A robot from the movie is on display for the premier of the motion picture Terminator 3 "Rise of the Machines" June 30, 2003 in west Los Angeles. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)
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Robots to Destroy Human Race, Expert Warns

File photo - A robot from the movie is on display for the premier of the motion picture Terminator 3 "Rise of the Machines" June 30, 2003 in west Los Angeles. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)
File photo - A robot from the movie is on display for the premier of the motion picture Terminator 3 "Rise of the Machines" June 30, 2003 in west Los Angeles. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)

Expert professor Stuart Russell argued that unless a specific change is made in the development of AI, it could result in the extinction of the human race.

Russell explained that Hollywood's depiction of killer Artificial Intelligence robots misrepresented what the biggest concern should be. While on the BBC's Today Program, the AI expert said scientists and engineers designed AI with goal-orientated mindsets.

This, in turn, means that Artificial Intelligence programs will choose the easiest and simple methods to achieve their goals which could mean killing or eliminating humans. In order to stop robots potentially destroying the human race, Russell argued scientists could change the way AI is engineered so it doesn't focus on a goal-orientated mindset, the Daily Express reported.

Russell insisted that unless this changed, AI could lead to human extinction as we give it the tasks of solving complicated problems like crime and climate change.

"If you think about it, the way we build Artificial Intelligence is a bit like the way we think of a genie in a lamp. You rub the lamp and the genie comes out and you say I want this to happen. If the AI system is sufficiently powerful it will do exactly what you ask and you will get exactly what you asked for," he said.

"Now the problem with genies in lamps is the third wish is always to undo the first two wishes. This is because we are unable to specify the objectives correctly. So a machine pursuing an objective that isn't the right one becomes an enemy of the human race, an enemy that is much more powerful than us," he warned.

Russell stressed that "if you are going to build things that are much more powerful than on earth you make sure that they never have power over you and that is the question that we are trying to answer."

The Today Program host then asked for an example of Artificial Intelligence becoming an enemy of the human race. Russell replied: "I think the Hollywood meme is always that a machine spontaneously becomes conscious and then, of course, decides that it hates human beings and wants to kill us all."

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US May Target Samsung, Hynix, TSMC Operations in China

A man walks past the logo of Samsung Electronics displayed outside the company's Seocho building in Seoul on April 30, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
A man walks past the logo of Samsung Electronics displayed outside the company's Seocho building in Seoul on April 30, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
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US May Target Samsung, Hynix, TSMC Operations in China

A man walks past the logo of Samsung Electronics displayed outside the company's Seocho building in Seoul on April 30, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
A man walks past the logo of Samsung Electronics displayed outside the company's Seocho building in Seoul on April 30, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)

The US Department of Commerce is considering revoking authorizations granted in recent years to global chipmakers Samsung, SK Hynix and TSMC, making it more difficult for them to receive US goods and technology at their plants in China, according to people familiar with the matter.

The chances of the United States withdrawing the authorizations are unclear. But with such a move, it would be harder for foreign chipmakers to operate in China, where they produce semiconductors used in a wide range of industries, Reuters said.

A White House official said the United States was "just laying the groundwork" in case the truce reached between the two countries fell apart. But the official expressed confidence that the trade agreement would go forward and that rare earths would flow from China, as agreed.

"There is currently no intention of deploying this tactic," the official said. "It's another tool we want in our toolbox in case either this agreement falls through or any other catalyst throws a wrench in bilateral relations."

Shares of US chip equipment makers that supply plants in China fell when the Wall Street Journal first reported the news earlier on Friday. KLA Corp dropped 2.4%, Lam Research fell 1.9% and Applied Materials sank 2%. Shares of Micron, a major competitor to Samsung and SK Hynix in the memory chip sector, rose 1.5%.

A TSMC spokesman declined comment. Samsung and Hynix did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Lam Research, KLA and Applied Materials did not immediately respond, either.

In October 2022, after the United States placed sweeping restrictions on US chipmaking equipment to China, it gave foreign manufacturers like Samsung and Hynix letters authorizing them to receive goods.

In 2023 and 2024, the companies received what is known as Validated End User status in order to continue the trade.

A company with VEU status is able to receive designated goods from a US company without the supplier obtaining multiple export licenses to ship to them. VEU status enables entities to receive US-controlled products and technologies "more easily, quickly and reliably," as the Commerce Department website puts it.

The VEU authorizations come with conditions, a person familiar with the matter said, including prohibitions on certain equipment and reporting requirements.

“Chipmakers will still be able to operate in China," a Commerce Department spokesperson said in a statement when asked about the possible revocations. "The new enforcement mechanisms on chips mirror licensing requirements that apply to other semiconductor companies that export to China and ensure the United States has an equal and reciprocal process.”

Industry sources said that if it became more difficult for US semiconductor equipment companies to ship to foreign multinationals, it would only help domestic Chinese competitors.

"It’s a gift," one said.