A statement warning that AI needs to be taken just as seriously as a pandemic or the threat of nuclear war has been signed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and other celebrities and notable figures, and is still open for added names.
The statement, hosted by the Center for AI Safety (CAIS) website, is brief:
“Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”
There’s a disclaimer before the statement explaining why it’s just a single sentence. In short, the idea behind the open letter being so brief is to cut through the noise generated by everyone talking about various facets of the AI situation rather than the bigger picture, the likes of which not everyone is taking seriously.
Here is the statement before the statement, in full:
“AI experts, journalists, policymakers, and the public are increasingly discussing a broad spectrum of important and urgent risks from AI. Even so, it can be difficult to voice concerns about some of advanced AI’s most severe risks. The succinct statement below aims to overcome this obstacle and open up discussion. It is also meant to create common knowledge of the growing number of experts and public figures who also take some of advanced AI’s most severe risks seriously.”
The statement invites you to add your name to it, so long as you’re either an AI scientist or notable figure (hence why people such as Grimes and Sam Harris are on a list populated by Google DeepMind and OpenAI staff).
Leaders aren’t the only ones worried about what artificial intelligence developments could be leading to. A new survey showed that nearly 75% of Americans suspect their jobs could be at risk because of AI.
On the flipside, many people are excited by the possibilities of AI, including Disney CEO Bob Iger, who noted he was “bullish” on AI and its efficiency opportunities.
