Groups of Chinese and Western AI scientists have agreed on the warning that "AI needs to be controlled like nuclear bombs did during the Cold War.".
According to Internet, A group of leading AI researchers, experts, academics, and influential voices in the field from China, the US, and several other countries met in Beijing last weekend to discuss the risks surrounding AI. The group subsequently issued a joint statement, identifying “red lines” in the development of artificial intelligence, including the creation of biological weapons and the conduct of cyberattacks.
The authors of the joint statement include Professors Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, considered pioneers in the field of AI; Stuart Russell, a professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley; and Andrew Yao, one of China's most prominent computer scientists. They primarily discuss the threat posed by super-intelligent artificial intelligence (AGI) with capabilities equal to or surpassing those of humans.
The group warned that a common approach to AI safety is needed to prevent “catastrophic or even existential risks to humanity within our lifetimes.” This includes preventing AI systems from exceeding acceptable limits, such as “no AI system should be able to replicate or improve itself without explicit human approval and support, nor engage in actions that excessively increase its power and influence.”.
Furthermore, AI should not interfere with issues such as designing weapons of mass destruction, violating international conventions on biological weapons, or automatically carrying out cyberattacks that cause serious financial or military damage.
Leading artificial intelligence experts stressed that the new warning aims for a similar goal to the Cold War-era efforts to avert nuclear conflict. “The coordination between governments and the international scientific community helped prevent a thermonuclear catastrophe. Humanity once again needs similar coordination to prevent a catastrophe that could arise from today’s unprecedented technology,” the statement read.
“"The core of the discussion is the 'red lines' that no powerful AI system should cross, and that governments should also impose these lines in AI development and deployment," Professor Bengio said.
Prior to this, Europe also voted in favor of the AI Act on March 13th. This is considered the final step in passing legislation to control AI, setting broad rules for the application of this technology, prohibiting certain activities using AI, and requiring assessments of AI systems deemed to be high-risk. The European Union is expected to officially pass the law in May and it will come into effect at the beginning of next year.
The rapid development of AI is causing great concern. In mid-March, a report commissioned by the US government and its partners also warned that AI could pose an "extinction-level threat to humanity" and that it needs to be controlled.
Last March, more than 1,000 people, considered the elite in the technology field, such as billionaire Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, signed a letter calling on companies and organizations worldwide to halt the AI race for six months to develop a common set of rules for the technology. A month later, a message signed by 350 people, including leading AI experts and executives, issued a similar warning.
Bao Lam
