Time magazine recently released a new cover titled “The End of Humanity: How Real is the Risk?” with the words “humanity” highlighted, referencing concerns about the dangers of artificial intelligence.
The cover has been criticized on social media. Some called it “tech doomerism,” exaggerating pessimistic attitudes.
Others said the cover spreads inaccurate and dangerous information. Some compared it to Time’s old Y2K cover, suggesting this fear-mongering imagery is nothing new.
On Twitter, some people meme’d and joked at Time’s “hysteria,” likening the cover to an Elmo costume. Though the subtitle asks “How Real is the Risk?”, critics feel the cover mainly seeks attention in an alarmist manner.
Time’s circulation has declined in recent years to around 1.35 million currently, reportedly down from a planned 2 million in 2018.
It is unclear if this drop relates to Time’s cover strategies.
Leading AI groups like OpenAI, Microsoft and Google have publicly discussed the need for AI regulation and caution, but a catastrophic event caused by AI has yet to emerge outside of fiction.
Source: Yahoo news