Explained

The Centre for AI Safety (CAIS) recently issued a statement calling for the mitigation of AI-related existential risks to be a global priority. This statement was backed by tech leaders such as Sam Altman, DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, and Turing Award winners Geoffery Hinton and Yoshua Bengio. The statement comes two weeks after Mr. Altman, IBM’s Chief Privacy Office Christina Montgomery, and AI scientist Gary Marcus testified before the U.S. Senate committee on the promises and pitfalls of advances in AI. The testimony focused on the need for software licensing and testing requirements for AI models, as well as a precision regulation approach for specific AI use cases. The experts also highlighted the potential for AI systems to surreptitiously influence people’s opinion and shape societies in subtle and powerful ways.