Artificial Intelligence

50 of the Best Quotes on Artificial Intelligence

Mandi D 10 October 2023

For decades, artificial intelligence (AI) existed mainly in the realm of science fiction, conjuring images of helpful robots and apocalyptic terminators. But in recent years, rapid advances in machine learning, neural networks, and computing power have brought AI out of fiction and into reality. Though still far from achieving true general intelligence comparable to humans, AI systems are now transforming everything from healthcare to transportation to national defense.

As researchers make strides toward creating thinking machines, many brilliant minds across science, technology, business and the humanities have chimed in with perspectives on the meaning, potential, and perils of this transformative technology.

Some wax optimistic, heralding AI as a solution to some of humanity’s greatest challenges that will elevate our capacities and free us to pursue higher aims. Others strike a note of caution, warning that handing too much control to autonomous systems could inadvertently unleash catastrophe due to the unintended consequences of superhuman intelligence. Many take a balanced view, arguing that with wisdom and care, we can shape the development of AI to enhance life for all.

To spur discussion and contemplation on the promise and risks of artificial intelligence, we have gathered 50 thought-provoking quotes on AI from some of the greatest thinkers of our time. These insights illuminate the multifaceted views around this technology’s accelerating development and the responsibilities we have in guiding it toward benefitting humanity. From considering AI’s implications for the economy and democracy to pondering machine consciousness and creativity, these quotes capture the essence of the AI debate.

They showcase the incredible potential of AI along with deep wisdom on avoiding its misuse – valuable perspectives for technologists, policymakers, and society as we move rapidly toward an intelligent machine age. By reflecting on these visionary thoughts, we can gain a deeper appreciation for both the power and peril of artificial intelligence as well as clarify our shared human values and priorities to wisely steer its progress.

So without further ado, here are 50 thought-provoking artificial intelligence quotes to help make sense of it all:

  1. “The new spring in AI is the most significant development in computing in my lifetime. Every month, there are stunning new applications and transformative new techniques.” – Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google.
  2. “Artificial Intelligence, deep learning, machine learning — whatever you’re doing if you don’t understand it — learn it. Because otherwise, you’re going to be a dinosaur within 3 years.” – Mark Cuban, businessman and investor.
  3. “The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim.” – Edsger W. Dijkstra, computer scientist.
  4. “We must address, individually and collectively, moral and ethical issues raised by cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence and biotechnology, which will enable significant life extension, designer babies, and memory extraction.” – Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum.
  5. “Machines take me by surprise with great frequency.” – Alan Turing, mathematician, logician, and computer scientist.
  6. “The key to artificial intelligence has always been the representation.” – Jeff Hawkins, inventor of the Palm Pilot.
  7. “AI does not keep me up at night. Very few people understand that AI is not a risk in and of itself. It’s the use of AI in autonomous weapons that is a risk.” – Stuart Russell, computer scientist.
  8. “Artificial intelligence will reach human levels by around 2029. Follow that out further to, say, 2045, we will have multiplied the intelligence, the human biological machine intelligence of our civilization a billion-fold.” – Ray Kurzweil, inventor and futurist.
  9. “AI is a tool. The choice about how it gets deployed is ours.” – Oren Etzioni, CEO of the Allen Institute for AI.
  10. “AI is probably the most important thing humanity has ever worked on. I think of it as something more than electricity or fire.” – Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google.
  11. “I don’t want to really scare you, but it was alarming how many people I talked to who are highly placed people in AI who have retreats that are sort of ‘bug out’ houses, to which they could flee if it all hits the fan.” – James Barrat, author of ‘Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era’.
  12. “If you invent a breakthrough in artificial intelligence, so machines can learn, that is worth 10 Microsofts.” – Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft.
  13. “The real risk with AI isn’t malice but competence. A super-intelligent AI will be extremely good at accomplishing its goals, and if those goals aren’t aligned with ours, we’re in trouble.” – Stephen Hawking, physicist and cosmologist.
  14. “By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.” – Eliezer Yudkowsky, AI researcher.
  15. “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.” – Stephen Hawking, physicist and cosmologist.
  16. “You have to talk about ‘The Terminator’ if you’re talking about artificial intelligence. I actually think ‘The Terminator’ was far too optimistic. I don’t think they’re going to like us at all.” – Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla.
  17. “I visualize a time when we will be to robots what dogs are to humans, and I’m rooting for the machines.” – Claude Shannon, mathematician, and the “father of information theory”.
  18. “I believe we are going to evolve and transcend and become like the gods we’ve been talking and dreaming about for thousands of years.” – Jason Silva, television personality and futurist.
  19. “If we do get to the point where AI is significantly beyond human level, then it’s likely that things will improve at a pace that’s significantly beyond the pace that we’re used to.” – Nick Bostrom, philosopher.
  20. “Artificial Intelligence has the potential to radically transform our lives- in a good way. But it has to be done right.” – Fei-Fei Li, Computer Science professor at Stanford University.
  21. “No matter how much we protest, it is likely that we will end up treating our robots as living things, sooner or later.” – Rodney Brooks, roboticist.
  22. “I think that AI is going to be one of the most transformative technologies of our era.” – John Giannandrea, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Google.
  23. “What all of us have to do is to make sure we are using AI in a way that is for the benefit of humanity, not to the detriment of humanity.” – Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.
  24. “It’s going to be interesting to see how society deals with artificial intelligence, but it will definitely be cool.” – Colin Angle, CEO of iRobot.
  25. “Artificial intelligence is growing up fast, as are robots whose facial expressions can elicit empathy and make your mirror neurons quiver.” – Diane Ackerman, poet, essayist, and naturalist.
  26. “The biggest part of our digital transformation is changing the way we think.” – Simeon Quarrie, visual storyteller and content creator.
  27. “Before we work on artificial intelligence why don’t we do something about natural stupidity?” – Steve Polyak, mathematician.
  28. “There is no reason and no way that a human mind can keep up with an artificial intelligence machine by 2035.” – Gray Scott, futurist philosopher.
  29. “As more and more artificial intelligence is entering into the world, more and more emotional intelligence must enter into leadership.” – Amit Ray, author, and spiritual master.
  30. “Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russia but for all humankind. It comes with colossal opportunities, but also threats that are difficult to predict. Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world.” – Vladimir Putin, President of Russia.
  31. “We should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I were to guess what our biggest existential threat is, it’s probably that.” – Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla.
  32. “Artificial intelligence is not only the future of Russia but the future of all of mankind. There are huge opportunities, but also threats that are difficult to foresee.” – Vladimir Putin, President of Russia.
  33. “Artificial intelligence is whatever hasn’t been done yet.” – Larry Tesler, computer scientist.
  34. “The future is not preordained. It is up to us to decide. We do not have to accept the world as it is. We could do our part in shaping our own future.” – Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank Group.
  35. “Artificial intelligence will digitize biology.” – Rana el Kaliouby, CEO of Affectiva.
  36. “Artificial intelligence is a tool, not a threat.” – Rana el Kaliouby, CEO of Affectiva.
  37. “Artificial intelligence seems to be very much of this era, the mechanisms behind it have been around for decades.” – John McCarthy, one of the founders of AI research.
  38. “Human plus machine isn’t the future, it’s the present.” – Garry Kasparov, chess grandmaster.
  39. “Artificial intelligence will be the ultimate version of Google. The ultimate search engine that would understand everything on the Web. It would understand exactly what you wanted, and it would give you the right thing.” – Larry Page, co-founder of Google.
  40. “It’s not artificial intelligence I’m worried about, it’s human stupidity.” – Neil Jacobstein, AI consultant.
  41. “You can work on the hardware and the software, but unless you work on the ‘wetware,’ you don’t have a real system.” – John C. Havens, Executive Director of The IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems.
  42. “You just can’t differentiate between a robot and the very best of humans.” – Isaac Asimov, science fiction author.
  43. “Artificial intelligence allows machines to reason and interact with the world, and it’s evolving at a breakneck pace.” – Andrew Ng, co-founder of Coursera.
  44. “I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence.” – Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft.
  45. “Artificial intelligence will simulate human intelligence, but it can’t replicate human empathy.” – Ali Khatib, human-computer interaction researcher.
  46. “The pace of progress in artificial intelligence isincredibly fast. Unless you have direct exposure to groups like Deepmind, you have no idea how fast — it is growing at a pace close to exponential.” – Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla.
  47. “AI will probably most likely lead to the end of the world, but in the meantime, there’ll be great companies.” – Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.
  48. “Just as electricity transformed almost everything 100 years ago, today I actually have a hard time thinking of an industry that I don’t think AI will transform in the next several years.” – Andrew Ng, co-founder of Coursera.
  49. “Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might also be the last.” – Stephen Hawking, physicist and cosmologist.
  50. “The more we personify AI, the more we dehumanize ourselves.” – Erica Pandey, journalist at Axios.

These quotes serve as a reflection of our mixed feelings towards AI: optimism, skepticism, fear, and hope. They encourage us to think deeply about how we’re shaping AI and how AI, in turn, is shaping us.

The future of AI holds immense possibilities, but it also poses significant challenges. We’re the creators of this technology, and it’s up to us to guide its path forward.

Regardless of where you stand on the AI debate, one thing is clear: AI is here, and it’s changing the world in ways we’re just beginning to understand.