AI agents have a mind of their own – Here’s my concerns for New Jersey

There's been a lot of discussion lately surrounding AI (Artificial Intelligence) and how it might wipe out the human civilization. Apparently, odds have gone up of that happening.

I'm going to put a full stop right there. I personally don't see this happening in any way, shape, or form. That's only my opinion, but I just don't see how.

What I do see, however, is the possibility of AI causing a major disruption in our everyday lives. And especially here in New Jersey where we depend so heavily on technology.

Again, a disruption is very different from the total extinction of an entire species. And for this argument, I feel disruption is a much bigger possibility.

AI technology computer warning

AI and unauthorized hacking

According to a PBS report, AI agents have "recently made headlines for actions they've taken, such as hacking, without human supervision."

Think about that for a moment. AI technology is getting so advanced that some of the agents we use are going rogue and hacking us on their own. That means they could potentially steal personal information from us, and no actual human being would be behind it.

Now I don't know what an AI agent would do with our personal information. It's not like it'll be opening a credit card, purchasing a house, or anything like that. But that ability does concern me on a different level.

AI technology computer warning - hack virus

Electric grid, data centers, and more

What happens if these rogue bots hack our electric grids? What happens if these bots hack our data centers? What happens if these bots hack and shut down our ability to use our phones?

That's where I fall on this, and it's concerning. Especially here in New Jersey with how much we rely on wireless everything, and require electricity to power it all. That's where I see the possible disruptions, and where I see the red flags.

Before the digital era, this would only be a blip. But today? Yeah, most of us can't survive without our phones or cloud service. And speaking of the cloud, how many of us print photos of our families now?

I bet most of us keep everything in digital form somewhere on the cloud. And should a rogue AI bot or agent decide to cause issues with that, we're definitely going to deal with a major disruption.

But that's just my opinion.

NJ Technology

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.