A debate regarding the pace of technological advancement and the potential benefits of slowing it down to enhance safety was ignited by the near-crisis at OpenAI, a prominent player in the swiftly evolving realm of artificial intelligence.
In my view, this perspective overlooks a critical inquiry into the specific types of AI systems we should accelerate or decelerate. As a professor well-versed in ethics and economics, this aspect holds paramount importance for me.
Over the course of my four-decade exploration of AI in fields like computational creativity and natural language processing, I have pioneered numerous advancements in machine learning. Notably, my work led to the development of the first large-scale neural language translator in history, laying the foundation for platforms such as Google Translate and Microsoft’s Bing Translator. Arguing against the advancement of translation AI systems proves challenging. Mitigating cultural misunderstandings arguably ranks among humanity’s most vital imperatives in combating escalating political divisions.
Nonetheless, the realm of AI harbors a darker facet. It has come to my attention that techniques initially devised by our cohort of natural language processors and machine learners for constructive purposes are now being harnessed in social media, search engines, and recommendation systems to exacerbate polarization, bias, and the dissemination of false information, posing severe threats to democracy. Recent advancements in AI have facilitated the proliferation of sophisticated phishing schemes, exploiting individuals by impersonating their acquaintances or colleagues with alarming authenticity.
AI technologies are exerting influence on human behavior, with the potential to wield unprecedented control over our actions—a power exemplified nascently by advanced language models like ChatGPT. The impending reality echoes the sentiments of an authentic Oppenheimer moment.
Yet, the fallacy of “speed superseding well-being” represents merely one of the misleading distractions obscuring the genuine perils that loom ahead.
