A diverse group of influential individuals, from tech pioneers to politicians, has signed a statement urging a pause in the creation of artificial intelligence that surpasses human cognitive abilities. The list, which includes the legendary “Godfathers of AI” and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak along with figures like Richard Branson, believe that superintelligent AI could lead to “human economic obsolescence and disempowerment, losses of freedom, civil liberties, dignity, and control, to national security risks and even potential human extinction.”
CNBC reports that a statement published on Wednesday, backed by more than 850 prominent figures, has called for a halt to the development of “superintelligence” – a form of AI that would exceed human intelligence in essentially all cognitive tasks. The signatories, spanning various industries and backgrounds, include Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, and two of the “Godfathers of AI,” Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton.
The concept of superintelligence has gained significant attention in the AI world, as tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and OpenAI compete to release increasingly advanced large language models (LLMs). Meta has even gone as far as naming its LLM division the ‘Meta Superintelligence Labs.’ However, the statement’s signatories warn of potential risks associated with superintelligence, including “human economic obsolescence and disempowerment, losses of freedom, civil liberties, dignity, and control, to national security risks and even potential human extinction.”
The statement calls for a prohibition on superintelligence development until there is strong public support for the technology and a scientific consensus that it can be built and controlled safely. The diverse list of signatories includes AI and tech figures, academics, media personalities, religious leaders, and a bipartisan group of former U.S. politicians and officials, such as former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen. Notable conservative media figures like Steve Bannon and Glenn Beck also signed the statement.
The growing divide between those who see AI as a powerful force for good and those who believe it is dangerous and requires more regulation has become increasingly apparent in the tech space. Even leaders of the world’s leading AI companies, such as Elon Musk and Sam Altman, have previously warned about the dangers of superintelligence. In a 2015 blog post, Altman, now CEO of OpenAI, wrote that “development of superhuman machine intelligence (SMI) is probably the greatest threat to the continued existence of humanity.”
Computer scientist Yoshua Bengio, in a statement provided on the site, cautioned that AI systems could surpass most individuals in most cognitive tasks within a few years. While acknowledging the potential benefits of such advances in solving global challenges, he emphasized the significant risks involved. Bengio stressed the need to scientifically determine how to design AI systems that are fundamentally incapable of harming people and ensure that the public has a stronger say in decisions shaping our collective future.
Read more at CNBC here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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