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Top AI researchers and CEOs warn against ‘risk of extinction’ in 22-word statement

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Summary

A group of top AI researchers, engineers, and CEOs have issued a warning about the potential extinction-level threat that AI poses to humanity. The 22-word statement was signed by figures including Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The statement has sparked debate among experts, with some thinking it overstates the risk posed by AI, while others agree with the risk but not the letter’s suggested remedy. The threat of AI is both present day and hypothetical, with some pointing to improvements to AI systems as evidence of future projected gains in intelligence, while others point to the AI's inability to handle mundane tasks like driving a car.

Q&As

Who are some of the top AI researchers and CEOs that issued a new warning about the existential threat they believe AI poses to humanity?
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Geoffrey Hinton, and Yoshua Bengio are some of the top AI researchers and CEOs that issued a new warning about the existential threat they believe AI poses to humanity.

What is the 22-word statement published by the Center for AI Safety?
The 22-word statement published by the Center for AI Safety reads: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”

What was the criticism of the open letter calling for a six-month “pause” in AI development?
Some experts thought the open letter overstated the risk posed by AI, while others agreed with the risk but not the letter’s suggested remedy.

What is the main disagreement in the debate over AI safety?
The main disagreement in the debate over AI safety is whether AI systems will rapidly increase in capabilities and become impossible to control, or if AI systems are still far from being able to handle mundane tasks like driving a car.

What are the potential threats of AI systems in the present day?
The potential threats of AI systems in the present day include enabling mass-surveillance, powering faulty “predictive policing” algorithms, and easing the creation of misinformation and disinformation.

AI Comments

👍 It is great to see the top AI researchers, engineers, and CEOs come together to issue a warning about the existential threat they believe AI poses to humanity.

👎 It is concerning that AI systems present a number of threats in the present day from enabling mass-surveillance, to powering faulty algorithms, and easing the creation of misinformation and disinformation.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about top AI researchers and CEOs warning against the risk of extinction due to AI. They've released a 22-word statement calling for global efforts to mitigate the risk of extinction from AI, alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.

Friend: Wow, that's a pretty serious warning. What implications do you think this has?

Me: Well, it definitely brings to light the potential risks of AI, and the fact that we need to take them seriously. It also shows that there is some disagreement among experts on how to mitigate the risks and how serious they are. It's a reminder that we need to continue to monitor AI development closely, and be sure to take the necessary steps to ensure it is used safely and responsibly.

Action items

Research the potential risks of AI and the potential solutions to mitigate them.
Reach out to experts in the field to discuss the implications of AI risk and the potential solutions.
Follow the work of the signatories of the 22-word statement and other AI researchers to stay up to date on the latest developments in the field.

Technical terms

AI (Artificial Intelligence): A branch of computer science that focuses on creating intelligent machines that can think and act like humans.
Tech: Short for technology, a term used to describe any type of equipment or tools used to create, store, or process information.
DeepMind: A British artificial intelligence company owned by Google.
OpenAI: A research laboratory focused on artificial intelligence founded by Elon Musk and other tech luminaries.
Turing Award: An annual award given to individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of computer science.
Explainable AI: A type of artificial intelligence that is designed to be able to explain its decisions and actions to humans.
CC-BY 4.0: A Creative Commons license that allows others to use, share, and build upon a work, as long as they give appropriate credit and indicate if changes were made.
Pandemics: A widespread occurrence of an infectious disease that affects a large number of people over a wide geographic area.
Nuclear War: A conflict involving the use of nuclear weapons.