DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The Chief Executive Officer of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, expressed concerns on Tuesday about the potential risks associated with artificial intelligence, particularly due to what he described as “simple institutional misalignments.”
Sam Altman highlighted the need for an oversight body akin to the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor the rapid advancements in AI during a virtual session at the World Governments Summit in Dubai. He emphasized the importance of addressing potential pitfalls that could arise from the deployment of AI systems without malicious intent.
Altman stressed the necessity of global collaboration in establishing regulatory frameworks for the AI industry, advocating for a collective effort rather than letting individual companies like OpenAI take the lead in shaping policies.
OpenAI, a prominent AI research organization based in San Francisco, has attracted significant investments, including a substantial commitment from Microsoft. However, controversies have emerged, such as a legal dispute with The New York Times over the alleged unauthorized use of their content for training AI models.
The concerns surrounding AI’s unchecked proliferation were underscored in the context of the UAE, a country known for its stringent controls on speech and information flow. The presence of companies like G42, linked to national security and accused of data privacy violations, has raised alarms about the potential misuse of AI technologies.
Despite these challenges, Altman remains optimistic about the transformative potential of AI, likening the current state of the technology to the early days of smartphones with basic capabilities. He anticipates significant advancements in AI capabilities over the next decade, emphasizing the need for patience and continued dialogue to navigate the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.
