THE NEWS
AI to rule the world
Experts call for pause before we do something we regret
AFTER QUIETLY working in the background of many applications and services for years, AI has hit the headlines. ChatGPT has become the fastest-growing consumer application ever, surpassing 100 million users, doing in four months what took Twitter five years.
ChatGPT is just the vanguard of a major shift in how computers are going to be used: an explosion of AI, and not everybody is waving flags of support. An open letter has been published, signed by some of the world’s most influential technology experts, asking for a pause and some reflection. It warns that AI could prove hugely disruptive, alter the future of life on Earth, and that the rapid development means even AI creators can’t control, predict, or even fully understand what their systems are doing. It calls for a period of planning, and careful management commensurate with the power AI has, which isn’t being done. Alarmist? Well, among the 1,124 signatures are Steve Wozniak, Elon Musk, and many of the world’s most revered AI researchers and developers. Elsewhere, Jaron Lanier (who is always worth a listen) says the more sophisticated technology becomes, the more damage we can do with it, and that we have a moral responsibility to use it humanely. The changes will go way beyond a chatbot or some generated artwork—AI is going to change the world.