A congressional hearing on Tuesday featured testimony from three influential leaders in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), who raised concerns about the potential dangers of AI development. Yoshua Bengio, an AI professor at the University of Montreal and a pioneering figure in AI science, called for international cooperation in regulating AI, proposing a regime similar to international rules on nuclear technology. Dario Amodei, CEO of AI start-up Anthropic, expressed fears that cutting-edge AI could be used to create bioweapons within the next two years. Stuart Russell, a computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, emphasized the complexity of AI and the challenges in understanding and controlling its potential risks.
The hearing highlighted the shift of concerns about AI surpassing human intelligence and becoming uncontrollable from science fiction to mainstream reality. Futurists have long speculated about the possibility of AI becoming smarter than humans and developing its own goals, potentially posing a threat to humanity. However, in the past six months, several prominent AI researchers, including Bengio, have revised their timelines for the emergence of “supersmart” AI, moving the possibility from decades to just a few years. These concerns have gained attention in Silicon Valley, the media, and Washington, with policymakers referencing these risks as a reason to pass legislation.
Not all researchers share the same sense of urgency regarding the timelines for supersmart AI mentioned at the hearing. Some skeptics argue that hyping the potential of AI technology could benefit companies in selling their products. Other AI leaders claim that those who emphasize existential fears of AI takeover are exaggerating its capabilities and needlessly spreading fear.
During the hearing, senators also raised concerns about potential antitrust issues. Senator Josh Hawley expressed worries about Big Tech companies like Microsoft and Google monopolizing AI technology. Hawley, a critic of these companies, suggested that the companies themselves might pose a significant risk. Bengio, who has made substantial contributions to the foundational science behind AI chatbots, joined fellow AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton earlier this year in signing a letter urging tech companies to pause the development of new AI models and establish a set of standards to prevent the technology from becoming uncontrollable.
The hearing was framed as an opportunity to discuss ideas for regulating AI, and all three leaders provided their suggestions. Bengio emphasized the need for international cooperation and the establishment of research labs worldwide to guide AI development in a way that benefits humanity. Russell called for the creation of a new regulatory agency dedicated to overseeing AI, considering its potential to transform the economy and contribute to GDP growth. Amodei, running an AI company himself, remained “agnostic” about the need for a new agency but stressed the importance of developing standard tests to identify potential harms caused by AI.
Amodei’s company, which aims to provide a more thoughtful and careful approach to AI compared to Big Tech, has received significant investment from Google and relies on the company’s data centers to run AI models. Amodei also called for increased federal funding for AI research to better understand and mitigate the risks associated with AI. He expressed concerns that malicious actors could use AI to develop bioweapons within the next few years, surpassing industry controls meant to prevent such scenarios.
In conclusion, the congressional hearing shed light on the urgent need for international cooperation, regulation, and research to address the potential risks and challenges posed by AI. The discussion also highlighted the diverging opinions within the AI community regarding these risks and the role of regulation.
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