Microsoft’s Brad Smith: To prevent weaponization, AI requires human control

Artificial intelligence possesses the potential to be weaponized and must be controlled by humans, according to Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, and vice-chairman, in an exclusive interview with CNBC.

In the interview aired on Monday, Smith stated, “I think every technology ever invented has the potential to become both a tool and a weapon.”

He further emphasized the need to ensure human control over AI when it comes to automating critical infrastructure, stating, “We need to ensure that we have humans in control, that we can slow things down or turn things off, whether it’s a government, the military, or any organization thinking of utilizing AI.”

Tech leaders worldwide have issued warnings about the risks associated with artificial intelligence, particularly after the popularity explosion of generative AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT. This technology has the ability to create content such as text, images, and code that closely resemble human-generated content.

Smith reiterated the importance of implementing laws and regulations to ensure safety measures for AI. He drew comparisons to other technologies that have safety features, such as circuit breakers in electricity and emergency brakes in school buses.

During an interview at the Business 20 Summit in New Delhi over the weekend, Smith mentioned, “We’ve done this before for other technologies. Now we need to do it as well for AI.”

The rapid growth of AI has raised concerns among workers about the potential replacement of their jobs by this technology.

A report by Goldman Sachs in March revealed that generative AI could impact up to 300 million jobs worldwide, with 25% to 50% of workload in affected occupations potentially being replaced. However, jobs requiring physical labor are less likely to be significantly affected.

Smith emphasized that AI is meant to complement human work, not replace it. He said, “It is a tool that can help people think smarter and faster. The biggest mistake people could make is to think that this is a tool that will enable people to stop thinking.”

He further explained that at Microsoft, their AI services are considered co-pilots, augmenting human capabilities. For example, the ability to transform a Word document into a PowerPoint slide does not mean one should skip reviewing and editing the content before presenting it. Smith advised, “In fact, you should go in and edit them and make them just perfect.”

Arvind Krishna, IBM chairman, and CEO, stated in a recent CNBC interview that AI will initially affect white-collar jobs but has the potential to assist workers rather than replace them. He said, “It’s absolutely not displacing — it’s augmenting. The more labor we have, especially if it’s not human-based at all, the more GDP we can create. We should all feel better about it.”