I think dismissing possibility of evolving AI, is simply ignorance (and a huge blindspot)
This said, I think the author's point is correct. It's more likely that unwanted effects (risks) from the intentional use of AI by humans is something that precedes any form of "independent" AI. It already happens, it always has, it's just getting better.
Hence ignoring this fact makes the "independent" malevolent AI a red herring.
On the first point - LLMs have sucked almost all the air in the room. LLMs (and GPTs) are simply one instance of AI. They are not the beginning and most likely not the end (just a dead end) and getting fixated on them on either end of the spectrum is naive.
This said, I think the author's point is correct. It's more likely that unwanted effects (risks) from the intentional use of AI by humans is something that precedes any form of "independent" AI. It already happens, it always has, it's just getting better.
Hence ignoring this fact makes the "independent" malevolent AI a red herring.
On the first point - LLMs have sucked almost all the air in the room. LLMs (and GPTs) are simply one instance of AI. They are not the beginning and most likely not the end (just a dead end) and getting fixated on them on either end of the spectrum is naive.