A group of AI experts funded primarily by the Musk Foundation and industry executives called for a six-month pause in training systems more powerful than OpenAI’s newly released GPT-4 model. In an open letter, they allude to possible risks for society and humanity.
Earlier this month, the Microsoft-backed program OpenAI unveiled the fourth version of its GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) AI program, which has wowed users by generating human-like conversations, composition of songs and the summary of extensive documents.
“Powerful AI systems should only be developed when we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks controllable,” states the letter published by the Future of Life Institute. The non-profit organization is funded primarily by Musk, as well as London group Founders Pledge and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, according to the European Union’s transparency registry.
The letter was signed by more than a thousand people, including Elon Musk. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, was not among them, nor were Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella, CEOs of Alphabet and Microsoft.
This concern coincides with the attention of US legislators on ChatGTP for its possible impact on national security and education. Europol, the EU police force, warned on Monday of possible misuse of the system in disinformation attempts and cybercrime.
For its part, OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the open letter, which urged a pause on advanced AI development until there are shared security protocols from independent experts and developers working with policymakers on the governance.
#Musk #Foundation #asks #pause #Microsoft #training