“I’m sorry, Dave, I won’t do that.” (HAL 9000 image from Warner Bros)
Experts including the “godfather of AI” claim artificial intelligence will be as dangerous as pandemics and nuclear war, and that it must be strictly controlled.
The Future of Life Institute previously issued an open letter warning of the dangers of AI, signed by over 1,000 people including Steve Wozniak and Elon Musk. That letter concerned what it described as the “out of control” development of AI systems.
“AI experts, journalists, policymakers, and the public are increasingly discussing a broad spectrum of important and urgent risks from AI,” says CAIS on its website. “Even so, it can be difficult to voice concerns about some of advanced AI’s most severe risks.”
At present, around 370 experts have put their signature to the statement, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and several Google execs and managers working on AI. He has most recently objected to what he says is potentially the “over-regulation” of AI by the EU.
CAIS is based in San Francisco. Based on LinkedIn posts and online newsletters, it appears to have been formed since 2021, and expanded in early 2023.
The organization says that it aims to expand “the research field of AI safety by providing funding, research infrastructure and educational resources.” These have included funding a $100,000 Machine Learning Safety Workshop at NeurIPS 2022.
