Elon Musk and many AI industry experts have called for a six-month pause in artificial intelligence development. Time should be used to establish rules for the technology, according to an open letter from the Future of Life organization published on Wednesday. “Powerful AI systems should only be developed if we are sure that their effects are positive and the risks are manageable.”
In addition to Tesla boss Musk, more than 1,000 people signed this manifesto, including Emad Mostaque, head of the AI company Stability AI and several developers of Google’s AI subsidiary DeepMind. The authors of the letter pointed out the dangers of so-called generative AI such as ChatGPT. These programs can simulate human interaction and create text or images based on a few keywords.
However, this technology has now progressed to the point where even the developers can no longer understand or control their programs effectively. As a result, the information channels could be flooded with propaganda and untruths and self-fulfilling jobs could be rationalized away. For this reason, all developers working on next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) must cease work in a publicly verifiable manner. If this does not happen immediately, the states should impose a moratorium.
Arms race between Google and Microsoft
Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, many major companies, especially Microsoft and Google, have raced for technology leadership in AI. New applications are presented almost every week, because companies expect large profits from this technology. Some countries, such as China, see AI as strategically important and want to give developers a lot of freedom.
According to Future of Life, Sam Altman, head of ChatGPT developer OpenAI, did not sign the call. Although Elon Musk is one of the co-founders of this company, he has repeatedly criticized this topic and called for government regulation.
“The wording isn’t perfect, but the spirit is right: We need to slow down until we better understand the implications,” said Gary Marcus, professor emeritus at New York University and a signatory to the open letter. Generative AI can wreak havoc. “The big players are secretive about their activities, making it difficult for society to defend itself against potential dangers.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
