WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Thursday amplified the fears of scientists who say artificial intelligence could “surpass human thought” in his most direct warning to date about growing concerns about the rise of AI.
Biden spoke about artificial intelligence during a keynote speech to graduates of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as he discussed the rapid transformation of technology that he says can “change the character” of future conflicts.
“It’s not going to be easy decisions, guys,” Biden said. “I met eight prominent AI scientists in the Oval Office. Some are very concerned that AI could actually surpass human thought on the planet. So we have a lot to deal with. accounts.”
Scientists and tech executives warn of possible human extinction
Hundreds of scientists, tech executives and public figures, including leaders at Google, Microsoft and ChatGPT, sounded the alarm about AI in a public statement Tuesday, arguing that rapidly evolving AI technology could create a risk of death for humanity as high as a nuclear war and pandemics similar to COVID-19.
“Mitigating AI’s extinction risk should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear warfare,” said the one-sentence statement, which was released by the Center for AI Safety, or CAIS , a San Francisco non-profit organization.
Biden met May 5 at the White House with CEOs of major AI companies including Google, Microsoft and OpenA to discuss reforms that ensure AI products are safe before release to the public.
“It’s one of the most powerful technologies we currently see in our time,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre when asked about scientists’ fears of extinction. “But to seize the opportunities it presents, we must first mitigate its risks, and that’s what we’re focused on in this administration.”
The White House is launching $140 million in new AI research
Last month the so-called Godfather of artificial intelligence Geoffrey Hinton quit his job as vice president of Google to speak freely about his concern that unexpectedly rapid progress could potentially endanger the human race. Others have described Hinton’s assessment as extreme and unwarranted.
When asked on a recent panel what the worst-case scenario you think is conceivable, Hinton answered without hesitation. I think it’s entirely conceivable,” he said, “that humanity is just a passing stage in the evolution of intelligence.
Last month, the White House unveiled an initiative to promote responsible innovation in artificial intelligence with the following actions:
- The National Science Foundation will provide $140 million to launch seven new national AI research institutes. This initiative aims to bring together federal agencies, private sector developers and academia to pursue the ethical, trusted and responsible development of AI in the service of the public good.
- The new institutes will advance AI research and development in critical areas, including climate change, agriculture, energy, public health, education and cybersecurity.
- A commitment by leading AI developers to participate in a public assessment of their technology systems to determine whether they adhere to the principles outlined in the Biden administrations October 2022 Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights.
- The initiative includes new policy guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)]on the use of AI systems by US governments to enable public comment. This guidance will establish specific policies for federal agencies to ensure that their development, procurement and use of artificial intelligence systems are focused on safeguarding the rights and safety of American citizens.
Contributor: Josh Meyer and Maureen Groppe
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