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AI is a trending and fantastic tool. From schools, government to private industry many are taking advantage of the technology to improve products and learning.
Within the last month, however, warnings from the artificial-intelligence industry have revived debate over whether advanced AI models could escape human control and threaten humanity. The CEO of Anthropic suggests the industry should slow down developing the technology and put more safeguards in place.
According to the Associated Press, worries that an artificial intelligence might exceed human abilities or be misused by unscrupulous people aren’t new. Experts have envisioned numerous routes by which a future AI system might cause a global catastrophe. They range from deploying weapons and engineering a pandemic to disrupting food, energy and communications networks.
But there’s no widely accepted estimate for how soon any of these scenarios might happen and no consensus on their likelihood.
Still, it has many considering the potential consequences. "Many of the people I know who work on safety research at AI companies want to do what is right for the world," a former Anthropic employee, Joe Benton, said in a posting announcing his resignation from a job as part of a safety team. "But they feel their companies are trapped in a race to build superintelligence: either they stop and other, less conscientious people take their place; or, they continue, and risk participating in enormous harm themselves."
What individuals do not truly understand can bring fear. Our poll last week found that to be true. In asking, "Do you have growing concerns about risks with artificial intelligence?" 79% said "yes" with 21% saying "no."
This week's poll question: What is your favorite season?