‘Oppenheimer’: Director Christopher Nolan says movie is ‘warning’ to world as we grapple with AI

Director Christopher Nolan, whose film ‘Oppenheimer’ is a story of the invention of the atomic bomb by America during World War II, has said that his directorial is a ‘warning’ as the world faces the challenges posed by artificial intelligence.

In an AFP interview, the British-born filmmaker said that much of the anxiety surrounding technology ‘in our imagination stems from (Robert) Oppenheimer,’ the physicist who played a key role in developing nuclear weapons.

Nolan stated that the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are raising similar concerns about the potential dangers of a technology that may become uncontrollable.

Just like in the past, there are concerns that AI could escape its creators and pose a threat to humanity, reminiscent of the anxieties raised by the advent of nuclear technology eight decades ago.

"Artificial intelligence researchers refer to the present moment as an 'Oppenheimer moment'," said Nolan, referring to the first atomic tests, when some feared nuclear fission would lead to an uncontrolled chain reaction that would pulverise the entire planet. Those now working on AI “look at his story for some guidance as to what is their responsibility — as to what they should be doing," Nolan said.

“But I don’t think it offers any easy answers. It is a cautionary tale. It shows the dangers. The emergence of new technologies is quite often accompanied by a sense of dread about where that might lead," he said on a somber note.

Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ revolves around the dilemma faced by the scientists involved in the Manhattan Project, the codename for the development of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.

‘Oppenheimer’ will release in theatres on July 21 alongside Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie’s ‘Barbie’.

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