Dr. Donald C. Wunsch: A Level-Headed Approach to AI’s Promise and Peril
In today’s episode, host Robert J. Marks begins a multi-episode conversation with Dr. Donald C. Wunsch II, endowed professor of electrical and computer engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology and director of the Kummer Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems. Dr. Wunsch has spent decades working on the intersection of engineering AI and real world systems with research spanning neural networks, adaptive systems, machine learning, and AI engineering. In today’s segment, Dr. Wunsch discusses a paper he recently wrote that challenges both techno-optimism and doomsday narratives, arguing that the greatest dangers of AI arise not from autonomous machines, but from human misuse, poor policy and concentrated power. This is Part 1 of a multi-part interview.
Additional Resources
- Donald Wunsch’s AI news website: CAIAS.mst.edu
- Donald Wunsch, “Artificial General Intelligence Is Nowhere Near, Artificial Specific Stupidity Is Already Here—Policy Implications,” IEEE Computational Intelligence Magazine, November 2025
