——Written on the 100th Anniversary of Birth of the Robot Concept
To:
Leaders of various countries, Secretary General of the United Nations, top scientists and scholars, well-known entrepreneurs and well-known media leaders.
Distinguished leaders:
This is my sixth letter to leaders of mankind. As a devout researcher of human problems and an ordinary individual of mankind, I write once again with great anxiety. Although all my previous letters were like a stone sunk into the sea, I will stick to my belief and continue to make my voice heard.
In early 2007, as a nobody, I wrote a letter to 26 leaders of mankind, including those of China, the United States and Russia. I included this letter in my book Saving Humanity, as the preface. Since then, I have written to leaders of mankind five times.
Through these letters, I hope my view – the irrational development of science and technology is bound to exterminate mankind very soon – will attract attention of leaders of various circles, because it is a matter of survival and well-being for all human beings.
My research on human problems started in 1979 when I was a 17-year-old university student. I stepped out of remote rural areas to an institution of higher education. I was fascinated about the magic power of science and technology, but in the meanwhile, a fear started haunting me: will science and technology exterminate mankind one day? I soon realized that this issue is worthwhile studying. Nothing else matters when it comes to the doom of man. I since then have taken this course as my lifelong pursuit and responsibility!
Now after 42 years of devoted research, I am confident that if science and technology continue to develop without any restraint, it is bound to exterminate mankind very soon. Human extinction could be within two or three hundred years from now. Worse enough, it could just be years away in the 21st century.
The human society in its development has showed us numerous historical facts that science and technology, as a double-edged sword, can benefit us
while do serious destruction onto the mankind. While enjoying the beauty of science and technology, we should not let down our sense of danger and crisis.
As long as science and technology continue to develop, the means of human extinction will inevitably be invented and it will destroy the entire human race if we let it off once, intentionally or unintentionally.
At present, the technologies that may exterminate mankind include nanotechnology, bioengineering, artificial intelligence, and a certain technology in the future. If nanotechnology is out of control, it may lead to unlimited replication of nano robots, so as to completely exterminate mankind and the earth. Bioengineering uses biotoxin modified by genetic technology, which may cause super plague and exterminate mankind. Intelligent robot with AI may exterminate mankind if the program is out of control or AI’s self-consciousness is awakened.
Moreover, science and technology is still developing rapidly, and there will be numerous scientific heights in the future that we can’t foresee today.
In particular, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the coexistence of human and robots. Originally an imagination in a science fiction story, robots are now part of daily life in every aspect. Robots may obey human
orders, however, they may rebel against humans. The scene in which rebelling intelligent robots exterminating humans is believed by many scientists to be the most likely scenario of the doom of mankind. Based on how fast artificial intelligence is evolving today, it should be clear how they would become in a few decades. It would be too late if robots would become really rebellious then. Why do we blindly rush towards the abyss of extinction and won’t be willing to turn round? Survival is the first and foremost. What do people do with their wealth if they are gone?
For this reason, I am torn with anxiety and often lie awake all night. For more than 40 years, I have constantly appealed to the whole society to develop science and technology rationally and reminded the public to be vigilant against scientific and technological risks through various means, such as books, letters, articles, speeches and interviews. Though I made some progress, it is trivial.
On November 1, 2019, instead of fighting alone, I officially registered and established the “Save Human Action Organization” and determined to employ the power of talented minds to promote an awakening movement of all mankind in a peaceful manner. We should make everyone, especially every leader of mankind, fully understand the necessity and effective way to restrict the development of science and technology as soon as possible.
It’s impossible for the society of states today to restrict the development of science and technology and make use of science and technology rationally. Countries coexist and their competition and confrontation are not restrained, but often manifested in the extreme form of ferocious bloodletting such as war. Not a single country will underestimate this competition. No matter what kind of competition it is, it all comes down to science and technology, which serve as the primary productive force. Therefore, no country will give up the development of science and technology, and the United Nations has no power over independent actions of a country. Only by realizing the great unification of mankind and controlling the world with the power of world government can we rationally curb the development of science and technology.
If it was not even possible to imagine the great unification of mankind more than 100 years ago, but modern transportation and means of communication have connected the world and turned it into a global village. The physical conditions for the great unification of mankind have been met, the remaining issue would only rest in human themselves.
Therefore, there is nothing lacking in realizing the great unification of mankind, but conveying a serious truth to the outside world, that is, to let
people really understand the necessity of great unification. If intelligent humans truly recognize that they are facing the choice of survival or extinction, everything will become possible.
The extinction of any creature means inadaptability to the environment. As the only intelligent species in the biohistory on earth, we may be exterminated by natural factors within hundreds of millions of years. The greatest threat faced by the unprecedentedly powerful mankind is actually himself. If no decisive measures are taken, mankind will soon face his own extinction in a short time.
For the sake of the sustainable survival and general well-being of mankind, I earnestly request all respected leaders to rationally and properly tackle the major issues of restricting development of science and technology and realizing global great unification, and go into action as soon as possible. Thank you very much!
Yours truly,
Hu Jiaqi
Founder of Save Human Action Organization
