A group of key figures in artificial intelligence, including Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, have signed an open letter calling for the suspension of training of powerful AI systems amid fears of a threat to humanity.
The letter argues that AI systems could pose a range of risks to society and humanity, including the flooding of information channels with misinformation and the replacement of jobs with automation. The signatories also ask whether the development of non-human minds that might eventually outnumber, outsmart, obsolete and replace humans is desirable.
The letter also calls for the establishment of new and capable regulatory authorities dedicated to AI. The signatories argue that the risks posed by AI systems are too great to leave to the market to address and that government intervention is necessary to ensure that the development of AI systems benefits humanity rather than posing a threat to it.
The signatories want the development of AI systems to be halted temporarily, with a moratorium instituted by governments if necessary and “new and capable regulatory authorities dedicated to AI” established.