Tech leaders warn governments have limited time to get a grip on AI as bosses meet at G7 summit
As world leaders meet at the G7 Summit, tech bosses have issued a warning that governments have a limited time to get a grip on AI.
This comes with an urgent message that AI needs to be governed correctly before it’s too late.
Appearing at an event to discuss the issues surrounding the advanced technology was OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis and Anthropic boss Dario Amodei.
All three of the bosses warned world leaders about the advancements being made in AI, which will need governmental guardrails.
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Altman said: “In another year or two, I expect we will have built systems with astonishing power.”
He went on to say: “we must err toward human liberty. We want everyone on earth to benefit from this technology and to figure out for themselves how to use it.”
Speaking about the need for governance, Hassabis explained that it should not be left to the tech experts to define, instead urging that ‘we need to define this together’.
To this, Altman added: “Do not cede your responsibilities to AI labs like mine.”
Altman has argued that these AI labs should not be given too much control over what they can do and instead, this burden should be on governments.
He continues: “There is a threat more insidious than the technical risks of this technology. It is the threat that the very real risks that AI poses become the justification for concentrating power in the hands of the few.”
Meanwhile, Hassabis wants a body to be formed that ‘increases trust’, adding that it could be a ‘technical standards body that is supported by leading labs’.
Increasing public concern of AI’s growing intelligence
As the tech has continued to develop, there has been more concern among the public over AI’s advancements.
With no sign of slowing down, experts believe that the tech could one day, in the near future, surpass human intelligence.
Geoffrey Hinton, who is considered the Godfather of AI as one of its pioneers, has suggested that achieving AGI could be up to 20 years away.
Meanwhile, other experts have given estimates of 2040 and 2050 as timelines to expect this level of tech advancement.
There is increased pressure on governments to get a handle on this before it escalates as guardrails could protect human jobs from being taken over by AI.
Other safety concerns including cyber, nuclear and warfare also need to be ironed out before AI becomes too powerful to control.