Elon Musk and other tech industry leaders, such as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, have called for a pause in the development of powerful AI systems, stating that they pose a significant risk to society unless proper oversight is established. They ask developers to stop training AI systems more powerful than GPT-4 for at least six months so that safety protocols can be established.
Critics argue that without oversight, AI could spread propaganda and lies and eventually lead to anarchy, and the more immediate concern is the loss of jobs. According to Goldman Sachs, AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs worldwide. The letter poses existential questions such as, should we develop non-human minds that might eventually outsmart, obsolete and replace us? Should we risk losing control of our civilization?
The CEO of the company behind Chat GPT, the latest AI model, recently spoke about the creative power of society, which is both exhilarating and terrifying. The companies behind Chat GPT, Google, and Microsoft have not publicly responded to the letter sent by tech industry leaders.