Tech leaders across the world have recently called for to ‘pause giant AI experiments’ in an open letter. So, why has this happened?
Following on from the release of GPT-4, the internet has seen a huge uptick in its interest in AI. Generative language models are increasing in their fluency, and according to some, we’re approaching ‘artificial general intelligence.’
Why is AI a problem for some, and why have the influencers of the technology sphere called for regulation of AI development?
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Why pause giant AI experiments?
With rumors that GPT-5 is going to be fully trained by December circulating, the possibility that it could achieve AGI (artificial general intelligence) has been noted as a cause for concern. AGI, according to Wikipedia, is the “ability of an intelligent agent to understand or learn any intellectual task that human beings or other animals can.”
However, OpenAI view it as “AI systems that are generally smarter than humans,” which GPT-5 could be. If anyone’s ever read Frank Herbert’s Dune series, you’ll remember the crusade against conscious machines superior to man. Is the open letter against the development of powerful AI’s just the beginning of this?
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The possibility that GPT-5 could achieve this is very real considering how intuitive GPT-4 is. It’s this very fear that has prompted the publication of the open letter calling to an end of the ‘AI arms race’ as it’s come to be known as.
“[We] call on all AI labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4.“
The open letter, excerpted above, is also partly in response to a recent admission by OpenAI that “independent review” may be necessary before the training of future systems. This came from a blog post on AGI, which has led many to question if ChatGPT, or more specifically the GPT language model, is approaching this level of intelligence.
With all of the above in mind, we think that the reason that top tech experts have called to ‘pause giant AI experiments’ is in the best interests of mankind. The recent report published by Goldman Sachs emphasising the risks posed by AI is an example of this, and slowing down the development of AI would surely help this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has signed the open letter against AI development?
A few key players who have signed the open letter against AI include Elon Musk, Yoshua Bengio, Steve Wozniak and Andrew Yang.
What is a giant AI experiment?
It’s not necessarily a specific term, though it indirectly refers to artificial intelligence’s more powerful than GPT-4.
