Christopher Nolan draws parallels between the atomic bomb and AI

Researchers in the field of artificial intelligence would also be living their “Oppenheimer moment”.

As the strike of actors and screenwriters intensifies in Hollywood, the rise of the‘artificial intelligence comes up in many debates. Christopher Nolanhe chose his side: during a conversation that followed the preview screening of his new film Oppenheimer in New York, he rightly expressed himself on this subject. He expressed his concern about the rapid (and uncontrolled) development of AI, but also its potential consequences on the cinema industry.

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According to him, the development of the atomic bomb, recounted in his new historical thriller, is not unrelated to the rise of artificial intelligence: it should even act as “caution“for humanity. During the promotional event, the director of‘Inception and D’Interstellar did not hesitate to point out the general irresponsibility around its practices :

“Over the past 15 years, many companies have used words like algorithm, without knowing what they mean from a mathematical point of view; these people do not know what an algorithm is (…) people in my industry who talk about it just don’t want to take responsibility for what the algorithm does.”

“To say that it is an entity separate from the person who wields, programs and uses AI is to condemn us. It is a question of responsibility. We must hold people accountable for what they do with the tools at their disposal”, he added.

If the story adapted for the screen of J. Robert Oppenheimer, commissioned by the American military authorities to develop the atomic bomb during the Second World War, “does not provide easy answers to these questions“, according to him, it will allow to show “where some of these responsibilities lie“. Nolan even went so far as to raise the possibility”terrifying“that AI systems be used in defensive infrastructure, including as nukes maintainers…