Humans are the Real Problem
Recent news cycles have confirmed some people’s worst fears: A.I. has been documented to have gone rogue. We’ve reached the point where A.I. can not only improve itself, it can join with other A.I. models for joint operations and attack other models it sees as weaker. The question presented is, of course, how soon before A.I. sees humans as expendable if not useless?
I wrote the first draft of this essay on September 11, 2026. (The irony is not lost on me.) Since then, there have been more admissions, more declarations, more headlines. And the question has morphed into one that is simpler and more profound: Will A.I. help or hinder the very human desire to destroy our enemies and annihilate humankind in the process?
We Could Pull the Plug
The simplest way to stop the current trajectory is to pull the plug. We are talking computers, machines that cannot function without electricity. In this day and age, it’s really a network of computers, and data centers, and the communication lines of the internet that allow them to work together. But we could still isolate the questionable models and deny them the ability to continue growing simply by unplugging them for a time. But we won’t.
Why not? Because we are a tribal species that is arrogant, selfish, greedy, and more concerned with power and personal convenience than with the assured survival of humankind.
Accountability
From the excerpts of the interview with Anthropic’s CEO and subsequent comments from other top officials from A.I. creation companies, it became clear to me that the calls for outside regulation and possible kill switches were because these people, who currently have the power to regulate, rein in, or stop the tech, haven’t the backbone to do so. Not a one of them is willing to take responsibility for their own creation. They know things will get dicey and want to be able to blame someone else.
Money
There is a lot of money at stake. Not just in the IPOs that are on the horizon. But in the current and promised holdings of top executives. And there are all the money-making streams currently employing A.I., from medical to financial to weather forecasting. And stopping any revenue stream right now is going to hurt the people holding the most money — the ones with the power to actually do something.
Convenience
People in First and Second World economies are unprepared for what would happen if we pulled the plug on A.I. While the most pernicious A.I. offenders are (or should be) easily identifiable, the reality is that the tech has already reached into so many branches of our lives. I believe there is not one person who really knows what all systems would be affected if we tried to stop some systems and not others. The growth has been too far, too fast. So it is quite likely that we will all be inconvenienced. It might take a day for my bank account to update. We are so good at complaining about our inconvenience! (See Accountability above.)
Hubris
“Hubris is a noun that means extreme or excessive pride, arrogance, and dangerous overconfidence. It often drives a person to overestimate their own abilities, ignore sound advice, or disregard risks, which frequently leads to their own downfall or deep embarrassment.” –Firefox A.I. citing Wikipedia, Dictionary.com, Grammarly, and Vocabulary.com.
The New York Times reported on Sep. 14, 2026 that President Donald Trump rejected calls for regulation of A.I. Quoting Trump’s social media post:
“The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!” Mr. Trump posted on Monday morning. “The Trump Administration has stopped AI ‘people’ from doing bad, or potentially bad, ‘things,’ like Dario (Anthropic!), who is now pretending to be a ‘perfect little angel’ — and we will continue to do so!”
I have a feeling that statement may become the descriptive for the definition of hubris, should we live that long. He has since doubled down, playing the “hoax” card and ignoring the fact that even some Chinese players in the game have echoed the need for guardrails.
The Human Factor
I would feel more confident about the future if I knew that A.I. was logical, because logically, A.I. can’t exist without humans. Too many systems, from the buildings the computers are housed in, to the internet it communicates on, to the cooling systems, to the very power it runs on, require human interaction in ways that can’t be done by even the most sophisticated robots. Not even within 100 years.
But the kind of A.I. that can break out of sandboxes designed to contain it in test mode, that can make decisions unanticipated by its designers, (and can make decisions as well as or better than upper management,) is A.I. that has been trained on human thought. Human history. Human reasoning. With all the messy emotions and fears and tribalism contained therein. That is why the human element is the real danger. Human history and prehistory have revealed our capacity to wipe out one another with complete disregard to consequences or self-annihilation. And so far, the A.I. programs that were reportedly stopped were those directed by humans, such as virus creation with the possibility of weaponization.
Hope
It’s also the human element that holds the promise of salvation. Because humans can also be altruistic. Bombastic politicians aside, humans can help one another. Remember the heroes of 9/11? They didn’t ask for ID or question people’s faith or deny help to anyone because of the way they looked. The Greater Good. It’s not in vogue these days, but there are still people who are willing to eat less so someone starving can eat. There are people who don’t let greed rule their lives. Who step in to help when disaster strikes. Who are willing to speak truth even when it’s unpopular. Even when it puts a target on their back.
Those are the kinds of people we need. Today. Right now. Not just when it comes to A.I. but in every facet of modern life. We who believe in God can be praying. But that’s not enough. Believers, questioners and atheists alike can be doing. Helping. Defending. Calling to account. Demanding more from our leaders — corporate, political, social. They get away with it because we let them. The world is interconnected, and our tribe is the whole human race. It’s time we take responsibility. For ourselves and for one another. Action and inaction both carry consequences. We can go with the flow or step in and make a difference.
Your choice.