A group of 350 artificial intelligence (AI) experts has highlighted the importance of reducing the existential risk posed by this technology, equating it to threats such as nuclear war or pandemics. An open letter signed by prominent AI industry leaders, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Turing Award winner Geoffrey Hinton, and several executives from Microsoft and Google, urges that AI-generated risk reduction be considered a “global priority.”
The letter, released by the nonprofit Center for AI Safety, highlights the need to mitigate the risk of extinction caused by AI, just as other global risks such as pandemics and nuclear war are addressed.
This expert statement comes at a time when AI has become a central topic in discussions among technologists and governments, who face the challenge of how to regulate and develop this technology in the future.
Several industry leaders have expressed similar concerns. Sam Altman recently testified before the US Senate that AI could have disastrous consequences if not properly regulated, suggesting the creation of an agency that would license the most powerful AI systems and have the authority to withdraw those licenses in the event of non-compliance with safety standards.
Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, also noted last week that AI poses existential risks and stressed the need for governments to prevent its misuse by “malicious people.”
Elon Musk, meanwhile, warned in April about the potential negative impact of AI on humanity, stating that it has the potential to “destroy civilization.”
In short, AI experts have emphasized the importance of addressing the existential risk posed by this technology globally and have urged the international community to take steps to regulate and mitigate its potential negative impacts.