profound risks to humanity

 

Last week, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to two scientists — John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton — for research on computers that led to current AI technology like ChatGPT.

Hinton is often referred to as the “godfather” of artificial intelligence.

He is also outspoken about the serious risks AI poses to humanity — even leaving a high-profile role at Google so he could openly discuss his concerns.

Here’s some of what Hinton has said about the dangers of artificial intelligence:

• Artificial intelligence technology could “amplify social injustice, erode social stability, and weaken our shared understanding of reality that is foundational to society.”

• AI makes “it much easier for authoritarian governments to manipulate the electorate with fake news.” We need “legislation making it illegal to produce or share fake images or videos unless they are marked as fake.” (We already do this with currency.) But in the U.S., “one of the major political parties has tied its fate to the successful propagation of fake news.”

• Combat robots powered by artificial intelligence could “allow rich countries to invade poor ones more easily.” And military systems that use AI to automatically set and kill targets could make wars impossible to control.

There is no one more qualified to testify about the ways artificial intelligence could be misused or get out of control. And of course Hinton is hardly the only expert warning about the threat of artificial intelligence — many of the world’s leading AI technologists are expressing concern.

As a society, we need to put strong guardrails on artificial intelligence and on the for-profit companies that are already locked in an AI arms race. But it’s no secret that elected officials are often too slow in keeping up with evolving technology — and that they are very much influenced by Big Tech.

That’s why it is essential for the American people to demand that Congress do more to grasp the risks of artificial intelligence — and to address those risks with comprehensive legislation and regulations that create guardrails to protect us — before it’s too late.

Tell Congress:

No less an expert than Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton — the “godfather of AI” — has been sounding the alarm about the profound risks artificial intelligence poses. Those risks are so serious, and the systems are evolving so rapidly — in part because major corporations are already locked in an AI arms race — that there isn’t time for the government to do its usual bumbling with new technology. The American people need you to fully grasp the threat of AI and to pass comprehensive legislation to protect us.

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- Robert Weissman & Lisa Gilbert, Co-Presidents of Public Citizen
 
 

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