What is missing in the Omega Team scenario?
What was made clear towards the end of the scenario (although present from the very beginning) was the lack of long-term planning by the Omega Team upon achieving success after success with Prometheus. They achieved world unity under a single power, all starting with creating an AI (Prometheus) that could program AI systems, but they had no way of knowing how successful they would be when they just started. It seems like they just went with the flow, going along with whatever opportunities arose. There was also no clearly-defined central leadership within the Omega Team, as they were always referred to as “the Omega Team,” without any mention of specific individuals and their roles within the team. Looking at the story as a whole, I guess this makes sense as the individual becomes less and less important in favor of a single unified body as the scenario progresses. Another part of long-term planning that was absent was any concerns about ethics, which is arguably the biggest concern we have about AI in our world today.
What went wrong?
After multiple successes in various areas, the Omega Team became complacent with Prometheus’ choices and suggestions. This resulted in what the Omega Team might consider an optimal utopian future, but is really more dystopian as the Omega Team became dependent upon Prometheus. They acted upon Prometheus’ will and were basically controlled by it, and all of humanity effectively became puppets in turn.
What do we need to do to avoid the undesirable outcomes and maximize potential desirable outcomes?
Avoiding undesirable outcomes and maximizing potential desirable outcomes requires careful planning that should be re-evaluated regularly. Alongside this is the critical need to center humans in every conversation, and clearly define the goals of every action. If something is for general human benefit, people must understand exactly what that benefit is. Any ethical concerns will be addressed equitably, which highlights the importance of ethics committees. These committees may halt the speed of action and progress in many cases, but they are absolutely necessary in order to protect all human interests.