NEWS. AI bots like ChatGPT could herald an ‘alien invasion’ with the capacity to ‘wipe out humanity’, top artificial intelligence professor warns
FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES
Stuart Russell, who laid the foundations for the new tech, says ministers have been complacent about its risks
“How do you maintain power over entities more powerful than you – forever?” he asked. “If you don’t have an answer, then stop doing the research. It’s as simple as that.”
“The stakes couldn’t be higher: if we don’t control our own civilisation, we have no say in whether we continue to exist.”
“Unless its only purpose is to be a benefit to humans, you are actually creating a competitor – and that would be obviously a stupid thing to do.”
“We don’t want systems that imitate human behaviour… you’re basically training it to have human-like goals and to pursue those goals. You can only imagine how disastrous it would be to have really capable systems that were pursuing those kinds of goals.”
AI bots like ChatGBT could herald an ‘alien invasion’ with the capacity to wipe out humanity, a top artificial intelligence professor has warned.
Stuart Russell, who laid the foundations for new technology, argued ministers have been complacent about its risks.
The British professor, who has advised Downing Street and the White House, said he is annoyed that ministers have argued in favour of light-touch regulation of the AI industry, despite civil servants warning its products could pose a colossal threat.
Russell recently signed an open letter warning that AI labs were ‘locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one, not even their creators, can understand,’ according to The Times.
‘We’ve made progress without expecting to,’ he said, adding it was possible that a system similar to ChatGBT could form part of a super-intelligent machine that would withstand any attempt to control it.
A UK government spokesperson said: ‘We recognise that as Artificial Intelligence systems become more powerful, they will create new challenges and risks which is why the International Technology Strategy includes a public commitment to initiate a global dialogue on AI risks.
‘We will need to act and adapt the way we regulate technologies like AI that are playing an increasingly vital role in our economy and society.’
For around 10 years, Russell has been vocal in calling for a ban on using AI to create autonomous weapons.
He believes one risk involves a powerful AI being given a goal and choosing a method that achieves that goal, but with unanticipated side-effects which are devastating for humanity.
He used the example of a world where AI is challenged to fix climate change, and decides the best way is to remove the earth of people.
Russel explained that the benefits of using AI responsibly could be great – one way of doing so being to create systems that are good at just one thing, as opposed to an AGI that can pick up any human skill.
‘It’s an incredibly useful thing. But it’s not in the taking-over-the-world business, right?,’ he said.
LEARN MORE:
NEWS. AI bots like ChatGPT could herald an ‘alien invasion’ with the capacity to ‘wipe out humanity’, top artificial intelligence professor warns
FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES
Stuart Russell, who laid the foundations for the new tech, says ministers have been complacent about its risks
“How do you maintain power over entities more powerful than you – forever?” he asked. “If you don’t have an answer, then stop doing the research. It’s as simple as that.”
“The stakes couldn’t be higher: if we don’t control our own civilisation, we have no say in whether we continue to exist.”
“Unless its only purpose is to be a benefit to humans, you are actually creating a competitor – and that would be obviously a stupid thing to do.”
“We don’t want systems that imitate human behaviour… you’re basically training it to have human-like goals and to pursue those goals. You can only imagine how disastrous it would be to have really capable systems that were pursuing those kinds of goals.”
AI bots like ChatGBT could herald an ‘alien invasion’ with the capacity to wipe out humanity, a top artificial intelligence professor has warned.
Stuart Russell, who laid the foundations for new technology, argued ministers have been complacent about its risks.
The British professor, who has advised Downing Street and the White House, said he is annoyed that ministers have argued in favour of light-touch regulation of the AI industry, despite civil servants warning its products could pose a colossal threat.
Russell recently signed an open letter warning that AI labs were ‘locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one, not even their creators, can understand,’ according to The Times.
‘We’ve made progress without expecting to,’ he said, adding it was possible that a system similar to ChatGBT could form part of a super-intelligent machine that would withstand any attempt to control it.
A UK government spokesperson said: ‘We recognise that as Artificial Intelligence systems become more powerful, they will create new challenges and risks which is why the International Technology Strategy includes a public commitment to initiate a global dialogue on AI risks.
‘We will need to act and adapt the way we regulate technologies like AI that are playing an increasingly vital role in our economy and society.’
For around 10 years, Russell has been vocal in calling for a ban on using AI to create autonomous weapons.
He believes one risk involves a powerful AI being given a goal and choosing a method that achieves that goal, but with unanticipated side-effects which are devastating for humanity.
He used the example of a world where AI is challenged to fix climate change, and decides the best way is to remove the earth of people.
Russel explained that the benefits of using AI responsibly could be great – one way of doing so being to create systems that are good at just one thing, as opposed to an AGI that can pick up any human skill.
‘It’s an incredibly useful thing. But it’s not in the taking-over-the-world business, right?,’ he said.
LEARN MORE: