Top Firms Warn AI Could Cause Collapse of Social Order.

In a joint statement, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) and Yomiuri Shimbun Group Holdings, two of Japan’s leading companies, issued a stern warning regarding the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI). The statement, described as an AI manifesto, highlights concerns that unless appropriate legislation is introduced swiftly across the globe, unchecked AI could destroy democracy and cause mass societal upheaval and war.

Referencing AI technology being developed by Big Tech companies in the U.S., the manifesto warns that “In the worst-case scenario, democracy and social order could collapse, resulting in wars.”

According to the joint statement, such AI technology is designed with the primary goal of engaging consumers, often with no consideration for ethical or factual accuracy. In collaboration with researchers from Keio University, the companies have requested the Japanese government fast-track the introduction of laws to shield elections and national security from potential disruptions by AI.

Previously documented events, such as Google’s Gemini AI system and Adobe’s Firefly displaying discriminatory bias against white people, underscore the concerns expressed in the joint statement. Earlier this year, war simulations performed with AI large language models (LLMs), such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, found that the programs tended to escalate conflicts into nuclear war.