The impossible standard we're setting for artificial intelligence- opinion

Four years ago, most people had never held a conversation with an AI system. Today, millions routinely turn to ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini for everything from writing software to making financial decisions. 

In that short period, we have witnessed a remarkable technological transformation, and I believe the most consequential stage is only beginning. The emergence of autonomous AI agents represents a fundamental change in our relationship with machines.

Until recently, AI was largely an assistant; we asked it questions, evaluated its responses, and decided what to do with the information. Increasingly, we are asking AI to carry out the work directly.

An agent can be given an objective, determine the steps required, and execute them with limited human involvement. This transition has understandably generated anxiety as people worry about losing their jobs to systems that can perform tasks faster and more cheaply than they can.

Others fear that increasingly autonomous AI will eventually become impossible to control. These concerns deserve serious attention, particularly as AI agents gain access to financial systems, corporate networks, sensitive information, and critical infrastructure.

Yet I believe much of the debate surrounding AI safety is based on an unrealistic expectation: that we should be able to guarantee these systems will never cause harm. We’ve never managed to achieve that standard with any other significant technology, and more importantly, we have never achieved it with human intelligence.