More than 1,000 tech leaders, researchers and others signed an open letter urging a moratorium on the development of the most powerful artificial intelligence systems.

More than 1,000 technology leaders and researchers, including Elon Musk, have urged artificial intelligence labs to pause development of the most advanced systems, warning in an open letter that A.I. tools present “profound risks to society and humanity.”

A.I. developers are “locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one — not even their creators — can understand, predict or reliably control,” according to the letter, which the nonprofit Future of Life Institute released on Wednesday. [1]

Figure 1. Elon Musk and others urge a halt to AI development due to "profound risks to society"

Figure 1. shows Others who signed the letter include Steve Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple; Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur and a 2020 presidential candidate; and Rachel Bronson, the president of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which sets the Doomsday Clock.

‘These things are shaping our world,’ said Gary Marcus, an entrepreneur and academic who has long complained of flaws in A.I. systems, in an interview. ‘We have a perfect storm of corporate irresponsibility, widespread adoption, lack of regulation and a huge number of unknowns.’’ [2]

Elon Musk Is the Threat from AI:

For much of the past decade, Elon Musk has regularly voiced concerns about artificial intelligence, worrying that the technology could advance so rapidly that it creates existential risks for humanity. Though seemingly unrelated to his job making electric vehicles and rockets, Musk’s A.I.

Cassandra act has helped cultivate his image as a Silicon Valley seer, tapping into the science-fiction fantasies that lurk beneath so much of startup culture.

Now, with A.I. taking center stage in the Valley’s endless carnival of hype, Musk has signed on to a letter urging a moratorium on advanced A.I. development until “we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable,” seemingly cementing his image as a force for responsibility amid high technology run amok.[3]

References:

1. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/29/technology/ai-artificial-intelligence-musk-risks.html
2. https://www.madinamerica.com/2023/04/elon-musk-and-others-call-for-pause-on-a-i-citing-profound-risks-to-society/
3. https://slate.com/technology/2023/03/elon-musk-chatgpt-openai-artificial-intelligence-tesla.html

Cite this article:

Gokula Nandhini K (2023), Elon Musk and others urge a halt to AI development due to "profound risks to society" Anatechmaz, pp.305