AI bots like ChatGBT could herald an “alien invasion” capable of destroying humanity, warned a top artificial intelligence professor.
Stuart Russell, who laid the groundwork for the new technology, said ministers were comfortable with the status quo about the risks.
British professor who has advised Downing Street and the White House says Cabinet ministers support light regulation of AI industry despite government officials warning AI products could pose huge threat He said he was upset about the allegations.
According to The Times, Russell recently warned that AI labs were “engaged in an uncontrollable race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that even their creators cannot comprehend.” signed an open letter to
“We’ve made unexpected progress,” he said, adding that systems like ChatGBT could form part of a superintelligent machine that could withstand any control attempt.
A UK government spokesperson said: “As artificial intelligence systems become more powerful, we recognize that new challenges and risks will arise. That is why our international technology strategy includes launching a global dialogue on AI risks. It contains a public pledge to do so,” he said.
“We must act and adapt the way we regulate technologies such as AI, which play an increasingly important role in our economy and society.”
For nearly a decade, Russell has been a vocal advocate against the use of AI in the development of autonomous weapons.
He believes that one of the risks of giving a powerful AI a goal and choosing how to reach that goal is to have catastrophic unintended side effects on humanity.
He gave the example of a world where AI has challenged the solution of climate change and determined that the best way forward is to rid the planet of humanity.
Russell explained that the benefits of using AI responsibly can be enormous. One way he does that is by creating a system that’s specialized for just one thing, as opposed to his AGI, which can master any human skill.
“It’s incredibly convenient. But it’s not a world domination business, is it?” he said.
