The real danger of powerful AI is not autonomous takeover but the centralization of that power in a few companies or governments, since power-hungry actors will inevitably seek to monopolize and abuse it.
Rebutting the 'autonomous AI takeover' existential-risk narrative associated with figures like Eliezer Yudkowsky, Howard argues the true threat is concentrating powerful AI in a few hands, which power-hungry people will inevitably seize and exploit. ✦ AI generated
Jeremy Howard · Machine Learning Street Talk · 2026-03-03 · original ↗
starts at this moment · 80:51
“Do you think we should be worried about AI existential risk?”
Even if it turns out to be incredibly powerful, right? Like I don't I don't even want to argue about whether it's going to be powerful because that's speculative. Even if it's going to be incredibly powerful, you still shouldn't centralize all of that power in the hands of one company or the government.
verbatim transcript · starts at 80:51
80:51mean by power? Because we've we've just spent some of this conversation talking about how it's not actually as powerful as people think it is. >> But I but I'm but I'm not even that's what but mine is an even if thing, right? So, like I I I'm just saying even if it turns out to be incredibly powerful, right? Like I don't I don't even want to argue about whether it's
81:11going to be powerful because that's speculative. Even if it's going to be incredibly powerful, you still shouldn't centralize all of that power in the hands of one company or the government. >> Yeah. Because if you do, all of that power is going to be monopolized by power- hungry people and used to destroy civilization. Basically, you'll end up with a case where all of that wealth and power will be centralized with the kinds
81:46of people who who want it centralized. So like society for hundreds of years have faced this again and again and again you know so when it's like you know writing used to be something that only the most exclusive people had access to knowing about writing. And the same arguments were made. If you let everybody write, they're going to use it to write things that we don't want them to write and it's going to be
82:19really bad. You know, ditto with printing, ditto with the vote. Like, and again and again, society has to fight against this natural prediliction of the people that have the status quo power to be like, no, this is a threat. So when we're saying like, okay, what if AI turned out to be incredibly powerful, would it be better for society to be that to be kept in the hands of a few or