Amidst the emergence of powerful language models like ChatGPT and Bard, concerns regarding the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) have been voiced by influential figures such as Elon Musk. Now, a group of renowned industry leaders has issued a concise statement, validating these apprehensions.
The statement, published by the Center for AI Safety, emphasizes the need for global prioritization of mitigating the risks of AI-induced extinction, comparable to other colossal threats like pandemics and nuclear war. The Center’s mission revolves around reducing societal-scale risks associated with AI. Prominent signatories include Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind. Additionally, Turing Award-winning researchers Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, regarded as key figures in modern AI, have also endorsed the statement.
This recent declaration is the second of its kind in the past few months. In March, Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, and over a thousand others called for a six-month moratorium on AI development, allowing both the industry and the public to effectively comprehend and catch up with this advancing technology. Their letter expresses concerns about AI laboratories engaging in an uncontrollable race to create and deploy increasingly powerful digital entities that even their creators struggle to understand, predict, or regulate.
While AI may not possess self-awareness as some have feared, it already poses risks of misuse and harm through avenues like deepfakes and automated disinformation. Moreover, large language models have the potential to revolutionize content, art, and literature production, potentially affecting numerous job sectors.
US President Joe Biden recently expressed cautious skepticism about the dangers of AI, emphasizing the responsibility of tech companies to ensure the safety of their products before their public release. While acknowledging the positive contributions of AI in addressing challenges like disease and climate change, President Biden also stressed the necessity of addressing potential risks to society, the economy, and national security. In a recent White House meeting, Sam Altman advocated for AI regulation due to its potential risks.
Amidst the diverse range of opinions surrounding AI, the newly issued statement aims to highlight the shared concern regarding its risks, even if the parties involved may differ in their interpretations of those risks.
The statement’s preamble recognizes the increasing discussions among AI experts, journalists, policymakers, and the public about the broad spectrum of important and urgent risks associated with AI. It acknowledges the challenge of voicing concerns about the most severe risks posed by advanced AI. The succinct statement aims to overcome this obstacle by facilitating open discussions and raising awareness of the growing number of experts and public figures who consider the most severe risks of advanced AI as a matter of utmost seriousness.
