A 162 year old warning: A letter from 1863 predicting the rise of AI resurfaces

Samuel Butler's visionary insights on thinking machines, shared in an 1863 magazine letter, have regained attention as the explosion of artificial intelligence reshapes the world.

The idea that intelligent machines could pose an existential threat to humanity may have been cemented by James Cameron's "Terminator" films, but fears about such dangers trace back much further. Philosophers and scientists have expressed concerns about the future trajectory of technology since the advent of early machinery. Among the first of these thinkers was a British farmer in New Zealand, Samuel Butler.

In a letter published on June 13, 1863, in "The Press," Butler referenced evolutionary theory and warned that the next phase of evolution might belong to machines. His essay, titled "Darwin among the Machines," remains a prescient document that resonates with modern fears of AI dominance.

"As ages pass, we shall find ourselves outclassed as a species."

Today, as AI becomes a tangible force, Butler's words find new meaning. Peter Wildeford of the Institute for AI Policy and Strategy brought renewed attention to the letter by sharing key excerpts online:

"We ask: What being will replace humanity as Earth's dominant species? It seems we are building our successors, enhancing their power daily, until self-regulating, autonomous machines will surpass us."

Butler’s foresight marked him as one of the earliest to envision machine dominance, long before AI became a household concept.