Over 2,600 tech executives and researchers, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, have signed an open letter calling for a temporary halt to further artificial intelligence (AI) development. They fear that advanced AI systems pose “profound risks to society and humanity.” The letter, published by the US think tank Future of Life Institute (FOLI), urges all AI companies to immediately stop training AI systems more powerful than GPT-4 for at least six months. The FOLI noted that advanced AI may represent a significant change in the history of life on Earth, and it should be managed and planned with adequate care and resources. The FOLI claimed that there is an “out-of-control race” between AI companies to develop more powerful AI, which “no one – not even their creators – can understand, predict, or reliably control.”
OpenAI’s artificial intelligence-powered chatbot, GPT-4, is the latest iteration of the platform, which was launched on March 14. GPT-4 has already passed some of the toughest high school and law exams in the US at the 90th percentile, and it is believed to be ten times more advanced than the original version of ChatGPT. The FOLI highlighted that AI firms are in a race to develop more powerful AI systems, which could be potentially harmful to society and humanity. They are urging AI companies to be more mindful and cautious when developing advanced AI systems that can potentially bring about significant changes to society.
