The Question of Power
We live in a time of extraordinary change. Machines are writing our emails, designing proteins, driving cars, creating art, and even passing legal and medical exams. In just a few years, artificial intelligence has gone from an obscure branch of computer science to a central force shaping the world around us.
The question we are exploring today is both profound and urgent:
“How powerful can AI be?”
Is AI destined to become the most powerful force on Earth? Could it surpass human intelligence, control infrastructure, or even pose existential threats? Or are there fundamental limits to what machines can achieve?
In this lecture, we’ll journey through:
- What makes AI powerful,
- How powerful it is right now,
- How far it could go, and
- Whether that power can and should be controlled.
We are not merely asking what AI does. We are asking what AI can become. And that makes this a philosophical, scientific, and political question all at once.
Let’s begin with the foundations.
II. The Foundations of AI Power
To understand the power of artificial intelligence, we need to start with what it is and what it’s built on.
At its core, AI is the ability of machines to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. This includes perception (like seeing and hearing), reasoning, language understanding, decision making, and even creativity.
1. Types of AI
- Narrow AI (also called Weak AI): This is the AI we have today. It can beat world champions at chess, generate text and images, or detect cancer in Xrays but only within specific domains.
- General AI (AGI): A hypothetical future AI that could perform any intellectual task a human can.
- Superintelligence (ASI): A theoretical stage where AI vastly surpasses human intelligence in all areas.
2. Technologies Behind AI Power
Let’s break down some of the engines driving modern AI:
- Machine Learning (ML): Instead of being explicitly programmed, machines learn patterns from data.
- Deep Learning: A subfield of ML using layered neural networks to process complex data, inspired loosely by the human brain.
- Large Language Models (LLMs): Like the GPT series, trained on massive amounts of text to generate coherent language, answer questions, and even reason.
- Reinforcement Learning: AI systems learn by trial and error, improving over time through rewards and punishments.
- Computer Vision & Generative Models: Tools like Midjourney and DALL·E that can “see” and “create.”
All these tools, fueled by vast data and powerful computing, allow AI to perform at superhuman levels in narrow tasks.
But what does that power look like today?
III. The Current State of AI Power (2023–2026)
The last five years have seen explosive growth in what AI can do.
1. Language
AI systems like GPT 4 and GPT 5 can now:
- Write essays, poetry, and code
- Hold conversations that feel human
- Analyze legal contracts or summarize medical research
- Pass bar exams and medical licensing tests
Some AI chatbots now rival human tutors or customer service agents.
2. Science
- AlphaFold by DeepMind revolutionized biology by predicting 200 million protein structures, a task that would have taken decades.
- AI is now used in drug discovery, climate modeling, and particle physics.
3. Art & Creativity
- Tools like DALL·E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion create stunning artwork from simple text prompts.
- AI music generators now compose symphonies, hip hop beats, or soundtracks in any style.
- Novel writing AIs can co write books with humans.
4. Robotics & Automation
- AI powers self driving cars, drones, and industrial robots.
- In logistics, companies like Amazon use AI to optimize routes, warehouse operations, and even hiring.
5. Military & Surveillance
- AI is used in facial recognition, autonomous drones, cybersecurity, and intelligence analysis.
- Some nations are exploring AI in weapon systems raising major ethical alarms.
In short: AI is already powerful. But current systems are still narrow they lack common sense, long term memory, and self-awareness.
The next question we must ask is this:
IV. What Do We Mean by “Power” in AI?
AI’s power isn’t just about speed or data it’s about influence, capability, and independence.
Let’s break this down into five dimensions of power:
1. Cognitive Power
- How well can the AI reason, solve problems, and make decisions?
- Is it capable of learning new things without being reprogrammed?
2. Physical Power
- Robots and drones powered by AI may one day carry out actions in the world delivering packages, farming, building, or fighting wars.
3. Social & Economic Power
- AI can manipulate public opinion (via recommendation algorithms), influence elections, and reshape economies.
- Job automation is affecting millions from factory workers to copywriters and coders.
4. Political Power
- Governments and corporations use AI for mass surveillance, border control, law enforcement, and propaganda.
5. Autonomy
- The most dangerous kind of power is independent decision making. If AI systems act without human oversight, can we still control them?
When AI has the ability to decide, act, and adapt faster than humans, we move into unknown territory.
Find us
Balian’s Blogs Balian’s
linkedin Shant Khayalian
Facebook Balian’s
X-platform Balian’s
web Balian’s
Youtube Balian’s
🧭 [TO BE CONTINUED…]
Top comments (0)