Do you think we will ever shut down AI?
People often say that "the genie is already out of the bottle" and can't be put back in.
But the news that Anthropic made its latest model unavailable across Europe shows how control over technology, or the lack of ownership of it, can completely reshape the playing field.
At the same time, surveys suggest that only 16% of Americans believe AI will bring positive change.
I am trying to outline that at some point we can perceive AI as invasive and we will decide to shut it down.
Do you think there could come a point where humanity tries to shut AI down?
In what hypothetical scenario do you think that would be most likely to happen?
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minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@amm8 I can see that only some solar eruptions can damage it. Humans not :D
FetchSandbox
probably not a full shutdown, but meaningful constraints yes. the Anthropic/Europe example is interesting because it wasn't about ethics, it was about data sovereignty. i think that's actually the more likely path: not "AI is bad so we stop it" but "you don't own your infrastructure so you lose access." the 16% stat is real but public sentiment rarely translates to coordinated shutdown, it translates to regulation. the scarier scenario isn't shutdown, it's fragmentation where different regions run incompatible versions and nobody's actually in control of any of them.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@rnagulapalle in these instances, we are now playing with the Terminator scenarios. 😬
FetchSandbox
@busmark_w_nika the terminator framing is fun but the mundane version is scarier to me. no single entity making bad decisions, just 12 regional forks all optimizing for local compliance and nobody accountable when they interact badly. less skynet, more "whose fault was that?"
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@rnagulapalle I am afraid we will not be so sharp to react promptly, nor in advance.
I don't think we'll shut down AI because it's "too intelligent." I think we'd try to limit it if it starts replacing the things that make us feel human—real conversations, creativity, purpose, or trust.
Every major technology changed society, but AI is the first one that can think with us. That's both exciting and unsettling.
The real challenge isn't building smarter AI. It's making sure humans don't become passive while AI becomes more capable.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@waqas_ahmad_qa Maybe as humans we will be too passive and rely on AI. Just look now :D
@busmark_w_nika correct.
Probably not a global shutdown, ever. The coordination problem alone is insurmountable. The more likely scenario is what we're already seeing: patchwork restrictions, regional data residency requirements, access getting pulled for geopolitical reasons rather than ethical ones. The Anthropic/Europe situation is a good example. That wasn't about AI being "bad," it was about who controls the infrastructure.
The scarier version isn't Skynet. It's 15 fragmented regional AI ecosystems that don't talk to each other and nobody's accountable when things go sideways between them.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@nolan_vu anyway, I think that if one decides to shut down, it doesn't automatically mean that the other will shut down because having a better position / upper hand is crucial for some individuals and entities.
@busmark_w_nika I agreed with you on this one though
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@unheardace13 But wait for the other versions. It will be more powerful weapon.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@pranay19 True! If one country does it, another will not do because would like to have the upper hand.
App Finder
Well, as "AI" consists of individual instances of models of varying capabilities, I think there will never be a scenario where it would be necessary / make sense to shut down "all AI". But certain powerful AI systems will surely need to be shut down if they become harmful in one way or the other.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@konrad_sx I hope they will not become harmful sooner than we will be able to shut them down. 🙈
I think that, as always, there will be divisions: some people will completely refuse to use AI for anything, so in that way, AI will "shut down" for them. At the same time, other companies and people will keep using it, probably differently from what we're doing right now, as AI becomes more and more regulated.
I don't know if I'll ever stop using AI at all, but I'm certainly limiting its use a lot compared to when I first tried ChatGPT and Gemini. I feel like some people are starting to appreciate human-made things again!
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@pamela_arienti At least some positive news. I am so proud that I am still relying on my capabilities :D :)
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@michal_giernatowski Hopefully, we will not be addicted to it too much (as it is now with us and smartphones) :)
I agree with other commenters. It is an instrument and hence not good or bad per se. And it has too much instances and ramifications to be"shut down".
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@memsoph I am afraid that a few powerful individuals may use it in a harmful way.