ChatGPT, Midjourney and Co.
Immediate break in development required: Elon Musk and over 1000 tech giants warn in an open letter about AI
Has been warning of artificial intelligence for years: Elon Musk.
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The development of artificial intelligence is progressing more visibly than ever – thanks to ChatGPT. Industry insiders speak of “significant risks”. In an open letter, they call for a break of at least six months to set rules and limits.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been on everyone’s lips for months. Although we have encountered the technology in everyday life for years, chat applications such as ChatGPT make it more visible and “tangible”. In the background, many large tech companies are racing – and teaching their products new tricks at dizzying speed.
This is already having serious effects on people – even if they have so far been supposedly harmless. Recently, a picture of the Pope in an opulent winter coat made the rounds and went viral. Only later did most people realize that the picture was not real. Means: Due to advanced AI, we can only trust our eyes on the Internet to a very limited extent.
What is easy to disregard: Not so long ago, AI could not create such images. The development is progressing rapidly. Even insiders, it’s much too fast. Elon Musk is perhaps one of the most prominent critics to have warned about AI for years. Now the concern about overly intelligent systems culminates in an open letter, which more than 1000 well-known people have signed. In it they call for a pause in the development of the technology.
In addition to Elon Musk, the signatories include Apple founder Steve Wozniak, university professors, AI entrepreneurs and leading scientists in the field. They emphasize: “AI systems with an intelligence equal to that of humans can pose profound risks for society and humanity.”
Race for AI “got out of control”
Consequently, the “profound change in the history of life on earth” must be controlled with “appropriate care” and “appropriate resources”. So far, there are almost no limits to the development of AI – and certainly no controls. According to the experts, this is currently reflected in an “out of control race for the development and use of ever more powerful digital minds”. The accusation: Not even the developers would understand what they are actually doing.
Below is a list of concerns and questions that this raises, even for insiders. “Should we allow machines to flood our information channels with propaganda and untruths? Should we automate all jobs, even the fulfilling ones? Should we develop non-human intelligences that could eventually outnumber, outsmart, render us obsolete and replace us? Should we risk losing control of our civilization?” ask the experts. As it turns out, they are not alone in this. The fear that your own profession could soon be taken over by an AI is very real. Likewise the fear that one can no longer believe anything due to machine-conceived content – look at the Pope’s jacket.
The letter demands that AI systems should not go public until it has been independently confirmed that the impact is positive and the risks are minimal. Also OpenAI, the group behind ChatGPT, already called for this. In February, founder Sam Altman wrote, “At some point it may be important to seek independent verification before beginning training of future systems, and for the most advanced efforts to agree to cap the growth rate of data used to create new models .” The letter replies: That time is now.
Half a year break and narrow limits
So that there is still a chance to stop the unrestrained development of AI, there should be a six-month break in which a joint strategy is to be worked out, which will determine how the AI will continue. If a break is not possible, the experts in the letter call for government intervention and a moratorium.
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The letter also addresses cases in which an AI causes measurable damage – and calls for clarity as to who is liable. The consensus: Without independent, fair control, things cannot go on like this. And: Not without politics either.
The critics of the current development do not see AI negatively per se. On the contrary: It is said that humanity can enjoy a “blossoming future” with AI and is facing an “AI summer”. Without control, however, this could very quickly turn into an “autumn”.