There is no doubt that artificial intelligence was, or is being, the most important technological advance of this 2023. And although there are a lot of people who are excited about what the future holds, there are also many others who, in fact, are scared by the excessive growth. So, they made a request to slow it down.
A group of important figures from the world of technology, such as Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX; Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple; Evan Sharp, co-founder of Pinterest; Craig Peters, CEO of Getty Images, and hundreds more, signed an open letter entitled “Pause giant artificial intelligence experiments”, published by the Future of Life Institute.
This letter warns about the risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) systems with capabilities similar to those of human beings and requests a pause in their development. Over the past few months, AI labs have embarked on an out-of-control race to develop and deploy increasingly powerful AIs that no one can reliably understand, predict, or control. It questions whether we should allow machines to flood our information channels, automate all jobs or, who knows, even develop other non-human minds that could eventually replace us. To prevent catastrophic effects, the signatories request that all AI laboratories immediately stop training AI systems more powerful than GPT-4 for at least 6 months and use this time to jointly develop and implement shared security protocols that are rigorously audited and supervised by independent external experts.
The letter mentions that AI research and development should focus on making current and next-generation systems “more accurate, secure, interpretable, transparent, robust, aligned, reliable and loyal.” It also calls for the development of robust AI governance systems, including new regulatory authorities dedicated to AI, a robust audit and certification ecosystem, accountability for the damage caused by AI, and a well-funded institution to deal with the economic and political disruptions that AI will cause. The signatories believe that humanity can enjoy a prosperous future with AI if we take the time to design these systems for the benefit of everyone and give society the opportunity to adapt.
So far, the letter has more than 1300 public signatures, although there is a message that mentions that the high demand has paused its reflected on the website. For all we know, thousands and thousands of people could agree with them.
If you are interested, you can add your signature here.
What do you think about this letter? Leave us your comments!
