Artificial intelligence could become a major threat to society, potentially ranking alongside pandemics and nuclear weapons, according to a warning issued by the nonprofit Center for AI Safety. The statement gained support from more than 350 AI experts, including researchers and executives from major technology companies such as Google and Microsoft.
Among those who signed the statement were Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, two pioneers in artificial intelligence who are often called the “godfathers of AI.” They received the prestigious Turing Award for their groundbreaking contributions to deep learning, a technology inspired by the way the human brain processes information.
The warning comes as concerns about AI continue to grow. Tools like ChatGPT are already raising questions about job losses across industries, including media, customer service, and other sectors. Experts are also worried about the spread of AI-generated misinformation, including realistic deepfake videos that could influence elections and public opinion.
Some of the biggest names in technology have expressed similar concerns. Earlier, thousands of researchers and industry leaders signed a letter calling for a temporary pause in the development of increasingly powerful AI systems that may become difficult for humans to understand or control.
According to Dan Hendrycks, executive director of the Center for AI Safety, the latest statement shows that concerns about AI risks are much more widespread than many people realize.
The biggest fear among some experts is the creation of artificial general intelligence (AGI) — a form of AI that could potentially become smarter than humans in many areas. If such systems were developed without proper safeguards, some researchers believe they could create serious risks for humanity.
While many experts think this scenario is still far away and may not happen for decades, advances in technologies like quantum computing could accelerate AI development. Because of this, researchers argue that strong ethical rules and safety measures need to be created before AI reaches a level beyond human control.