---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By far, the greatest danger of Artificial…"
description: "\"By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.\" — Eliezer Yudkowsky"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_artificial_by-far-the-greatest-danger-of-artificial_575773.png"
---

#  By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is…

![“By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.” quote by Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_artificial_by-far-the-greatest-danger-of-artificial_575773.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_artificial_by-far-the-greatest-danger-of-artificial_575773.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_artificial_by-far-the-greatest-danger-of-artificial_575773.png)

> “By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.”

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People often overestimate their grasp of AI, leading to premature confidence and poor decisions.

**In simple terms:** Thinking we understand AI too soon is dangerous.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions about AI.

Themes

caution knowledge AI humility

Mood

concerned reflective

Type

cautionary analytical

When to use this quote

- policy making
- investment decisions
- public discourse
- education programs

Key Concepts

epistemology risk assessment technology optimism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you verify your understanding of AI?
- What safeguards can prevent premature conclusions?

A Different Perspective

Overconfidence can blind us to real risks and complexities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artificial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artificial/) [Artificial intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artificial-intelligence/) [Conclude Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclude-early-4743016/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Danger Artificial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger-artificial-1780571/) [Early Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-understand-4743015/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Intelligence People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence-people-324831/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Too early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-early/)

## Related quotes

> [If you become aware of a public self, you're in danger of becoming a very artificial person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/if-you-become-aware-of-a-public-self-you-re-in-danger-of-becoming-a/)

[Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/)

> [I think that the artificial-intelligence people are making a lot of noise recently, claiming that artificial intelligence is making huge progress and we're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/i-think-that-the-artificial-intelligence-people-are-making-a-lot-of/)

[Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/)

> [We in US need active intelligence: people being on the streets, people being able to stop and ask questions of individuals that they suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/we-in-us-need-active-intelligence-people-being-on-the-streets-people/)

[Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/)

> [Human beings have a variety of intelligences, such as cognitive intelligence, emotional intelligence, musical intelligence, kinesthetic intelligence, and so on. Most people excel in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/human-beings-have-a-variety-of-intelligences-such-as-cognitive/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [The more intelligence one has, the more people one finds original. Commonplace people see no difference between men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-more-intelligence-one-has-the-more-people-one-finds-original/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [A republican form of government, without intelligence in the people, must be, on a vast scale, what a mad-house, without superintendent or keepers, would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/a-republican-form-of-government-without-intelligence-in-the-people/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [Why is it that the less intelligence people have, the more spiritual they are? They seem to fill all the vacant, ignorant spaces in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/why-is-it-that-the-less-intelligence-people-have-the-more-spiritual/)

[Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/)

> [The long-term value of amplifying the intelligence of people is a lot more important than betting on sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-b-rosenberg/the-long-term-value-of-amplifying-the-intelligence-of-people-is-a-lot/)

[Louis B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-b-rosenberg/)

> [When you look at obesity in the United States, clearly it is not a bunch of stupid people. It has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/when-you-look-at-obesity-in-the-united-states-clearly-it-is-not-a/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [“Multipliers increase intelligence in people and in organizations. People actually get smarter and more capable around them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/multipliers-increase-intelligence-in-people-and-in-organizations/)

[Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/)

> [“One problem with the way the educational system is set up is that it only recognizes a certain type of intelligence, and it’s incredibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/one-problem-with-the-way-the-educational-system-is-set-up-is-that-it/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [“She confused wit with intelligence, and made people laugh rather than lightening their hearts or making them think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/she-confused-wit-with-intelligence-and-made-people-laugh-rather-than/)

[E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/)

> [I think there's been this long cycle of the big companies making a lot of money by underestimating people's intelligence and people are used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-robbins/i-think-there-s-been-this-long-cycle-of-the-big-companies-making-a/)

[J. Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-robbins/)

> [There's some way in which we would prefer not to see very clearly the immense gifts and intelligence of some of the people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/there-s-some-way-in-which-we-would-prefer-not-to-see-very-clearly-the/)

[Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/)

> [The information that the intelligence people used was a combination of satellite information, signals intelligence, and human intelligence. We are not sure to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/the-information-that-the-intelligence-people-used-was-a-combination/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

## More by Eliezer Yudkowsky

> [“But I really am Ravenclaw, you know, not Slytherin. I don't want to rule the universe. I just think it could be more sensibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/but-i-really-am-ravenclaw-you-know-not-slytherin-i-don-t-want-to-rule/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“‎If you regard evidence as a constraint and seek to free yourself, you sell yourself into the chains of your whims. For you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/if-you-regard-evidence-as-a-constraint-and-seek-to-free-yourself-you/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“I am not sure how to explain it, except that - truth matters to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-am-not-sure-how-to-explain-it-except-that-truth-matters-to-us/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [I see little hope for democracy as an effective form of government, but I admire the poetry of how it makes its victims complicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-see-little-hope-for-democracy-as-an-effective-form-of-government/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“He really really really shouldn't have done that. Amazing how much more obvious that became one second after it was too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/he-really-really-really-shouldn-t-have-done-that-amazing-how-much/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [I'm wondering if there's a spell to make lightning flash in the background whenever I make an ominous resolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-m-wondering-if-there-s-a-spell-to-make-lightning-flash-in-the/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“There’s a technique we use in our local rationalist cluster called “Is That Your True Rejection?”, and it works like this: Before you stake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/there-s-a-technique-we-use-in-our-local-rationalist-cluster-called-is/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [Lonely dissent doesn't feel like going to school dressed in black. It feels like going to school wearing a clown suit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/lonely-dissent-doesn-t-feel-like-going-to-school-dressed-in-black-it/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“Knowing that Draco's hopeful face had probably been drilled into him by months of practice did not make it any less effective, Harry observed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/knowing-that-draco-s-hopeful-face-had-probably-been-drilled-into-him/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [The strength of a theory is not what it allows, but what it prohibits; if you can invent an equally persuasive explanation for any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/the-strength-of-a-theory-is-not-what-it-allows-but-what-it-prohibits/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [It is triple ultra forbidden to respond to criticism with violence. There are a very few injunctions in the human art of rationality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/it-is-triple-ultra-forbidden-to-respond-to-criticism-with-violence/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [The human species was not born into a market economy. Bees won't sell you honey if you offer them an electronic funds transfer. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/the-human-species-was-not-born-into-a-market-economy-bees-won-t-sell/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“Frigideiro! " said Hermione again from the desk next to him. Her water was solid ice and there were white crystals forming on the rim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/frigideiro-said-hermione-again-from-the-desk-next-to-him-her-water/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“And then Harry Potter had launched in to a speech that was inspiring, yet vague. A speech to the effect that Fred and George…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/and-then-harry-potter-had-launched-in-to-a-speech-that-was-inspiring/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“And I know that I'd just make myself unhappy by comparing that reality to... something perfect that I built up in my imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/and-i-know-that-i-d-just-make-myself-unhappy-by-comparing-that/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

[Explore all 274 Eliezer Yudkowsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

## More Artificial quotes

> [One of our big goals in search is to make search that really understands exactly what you want, understands everything in the world. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/one-of-our-big-goals-in-search-is-to-make-search-that-really/)

[Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/)

> [Baseball needs to put the steroids era behind it by having and enforcing tough rules against all kinds of artificial advantages, so that spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/baseball-needs-to-put-the-steroids-era-behind-it-by-having-and/)

[Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/)

> [People don't want to believe that technology is broken. Pharmaceuticals, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology - all these areas where the progress has been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/people-don-t-want-to-believe-that-technology-is-broken/)

[Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/)

> [I find theater very lazy and artificial, and then when it's not, it lacks refinement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-tsakos/i-find-theater-very-lazy-and-artificial-and-then-when-it-s-not-it/)

[Natasha Tsakos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-tsakos/)

> [Conservative feminism is such an artificial term that doesn't mean much to me. For me conservatism means accepting reality. I acknowledge that there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-schroder/conservative-feminism-is-such-an-artificial-term-that-doesn-t-mean/)

[Kristina Schroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristina-schroder/)

> [There is... an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-an-artificial-aristocracy-founded-on-wealth-and-birth/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it's probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/i-think-we-should-be-very-careful-about-artificial-intelligence-if-i/)

[Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/)

> [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Inflation is not caused by the actions of private citizens, but by the government: by an artificial expansion of the money supply required to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/inflation-is-not-caused-by-the-actions-of-private-citizens-but-by-the/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Of all evils of war the greatest is the purely spiritual evil: the hatred, the injustice, the repudiation of truth, the artificial conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/of-all-evils-of-war-the-greatest-is-the-purely-spiritual-evil-the/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Perspective, as its inventor remarked, is a beautiful thing. What horrors of damp huts, where human beings languish, may not become picturesque through aerial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/perspective-as-its-inventor-remarked-is-a-beautiful-thing-what/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [People always make this totally artificial distinction between what is commercial and what is good. They quote that maxim "Nobody ever lost money underestimating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/people-always-make-this-totally-artificial-distinction-between-what/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [We always want to live in an environment where there's no artificial block to good work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/we-always-want-to-live-in-an-environment-where-there-s-no-artificial/)

[Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/)

> [What do you have to surrender? A drop has to dissolve into the ocean to become the ocean. And a drop cannot be greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/what-do-you-have-to-surrender-a-drop-has-to-dissolve-into-the-ocean/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

> [It was astonishing when at one point, I got the idea of how to make artifical clouds with a collaborator, we had pictures made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/it-was-astonishing-when-at-one-point-i-got-the-idea-of-how-to-make/)

[Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/)

[Browse all 819 Artificial quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artificial/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eliezer Yudkowsky"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/by-far-the-greatest-danger-of-artificial-intelligence-is-that-people/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artificial"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/by-far-the-greatest-danger-of-artificial-intelligence-is-that-people/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_artificial_by-far-the-greatest-danger-of-artificial_575773.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_artificial_by-far-the-greatest-danger-of-artificial_575773.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_artificial_by-far-the-greatest-danger-of-artificial_575773.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they…” — Eliezer Yudkowsky",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Eliezer Yudkowsky",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "By far, the greatest danger of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/by-far-the-greatest-danger-of-artificial-intelligence-is-that-people/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/by-far-the-greatest-danger-of-artificial-intelligence-is-that-people/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
