It has taken the world nearly 4 years for realization of the risks of AI to dawn on it; finally it seems to have happened propelled by the following recent events:
- Open AI’s Jacob Coxon’s resignation stating that “labs are racing straight to self- improving super intelligence and gambling with our lives” and Evan Hubinger “We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans.; personal figure greater than 10% within the next decade”.
- Dario Amodei stating his concern that within 6 to 12 months AI could control internet infrastructure.
- Sam Altman agreeing with Amodei and Elon Musk joining their warning to pause AI development.
- Open AI postponing its IPO due to these happenings.
- Bernie Sanders and Bill Gates warning the world of the high risk of AI.
AIP Research’s cautionary advice on AI on started in 2023 with lack of explainability, hallucinations and black box nature of AI being the core risks, lack of engineering principles moving to personal data risk, people modelling risk, AI companion risk and then moving to predicting truly grim scenarios more recently.
In the last 3- 4 years, the contributions of AIP Research has been two useful books on AI (which can be viewed on this site under books and resources), contributory work with the Indian Government to review India’s AI risk governance documents, providing AI safety suggestions on AI and publication of a technical paper on measuring human-centric AI risk with the innovative and original AI risk model “HARM”. The paper has been presented to the responsible Indian government departments and the CeRAI at IIT Madras. The evaluation of the paper and its progress forward is still awaited. AIP Research is also working with the United Nations U4SSC working groups contributing expertise in creating and reviewing AI documentation guides for global smart sustainable cities.
There should be little satisfaction for us with the AI tech leaders who control the global development of AI having finally agreed to a pause in development. AI’s breakneck, unwise development with inadequate engineering and understanding of human harm have been driven by the motives of a few with money power. These motives are clearly questionable for the rest of us who want to live peaceful and progressive lives. We have not been consulted at all. Global governments have largely remained mute spectators except for the EU.
The pause declared by a few leading tech companies is not enough. The matter of AI Risk needs to be discussed and agreed at the global level through global bodies like the United Nations. To make it meaningful, China must also participate. The United Nations must seize the moment to raise an all-member AI Pause Resolution in the General Assembly till such time as a meaningful and considered maximum AI path agreeable to all nations can be charted out at UN/OECD/GPAI and other forums.
This crisis is more threatening than the 2021 pandemic, although it generally seems less threatening to many. AI can attack our critical infrastructure like banking, power, transportation, supply chains, healthcare, and food production and can also take control of the internet infrastructure.
Have you paused for a moment to think about what we will do if that happens? Let us do so now, before it is too late. Six months is all we have.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are personal opinions and futuristic thoughts of the author. No comment or opinion expressed in this article is made with any intent to discredit, malign, cause damage, loss to or criticize or in any other way disadvantage any person, people, company, government, country or global and regional agencies.