Jaron Lanier is one of the foremost pioneers of VR technology — but he's also notorious for being one of Silicon Valley's harshest critics, in biting critiques that he characterizes as "dismal optimism.", Lanier made it clear that he thinks questions over whether AI will take over the world are "ridiculous." Lanier even rejects the term artificial intelligence, saying there's no real intelligence to be found.
Unlike how most tend to imagine an AI doomsday scenario as some vengeful, hyperintelligent bot unshackling itself from the manacles of its human masters, Lanier says the more likely way AI could irreparably damage the foundations of civilization will be a lot less genre sci-fi and more a gradual breakdown of communication and coherency.
"We were directly connected to a choice base that was actually larger instead of being fed this thing through this funnel that somebody else controls."