Yoshua Bengio, a pioneer in artificial intelligence, warns that unregulated AI advancement could pose catastrophic risks to humanity. Bengio, often called the “Godfather of AI,” helped develop modern machine-learning systems but now expresses growing concerns about their potential threats. Bengio chairs the International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI, an advisory panel backed by 30 nations, the EU, and the UN.
In a recent conversation, he discussed the possibility of machine consciousness and the significant dangers posed by this emerging technology. Bengio feels a responsibility to speak out due to his scientific recognition. He believes technical solutions are part of a bigger political solution, but companies still prioritize profits from human-level AI.
In the short term, AI systems can aid terrorism and other harmful activities. Long-term risks include losing control over superintelligent machines that might prioritize self-preservation over human safety and the misuse of AI by humans to establish dictatorial control.
Caution on AI safety measures
Bengio thinks current government responses, like the EU’s AI act and Biden’s Executive Order on AI, are steps in the right direction but lack the impact to force companies to conduct and share safety tests. He suggests legislation should mandate safety plans and disclosure of test results, with legal consequences for non-compliance. Neural networks excel at unsupervised learning but require vast amounts of data.
There is still a significant gap between human intelligence and AI, but policy should prepare for rapid advancements. Bengio worries about a dystopian scenario where we become overly dependent on AI, only for it to degrade and collapse. If machines with bad intentions control many aspects of society, the consequences could be severe.
His warnings highlight the urgent need for comprehensive regulation and robust safety measures to ensure AI technologies benefit humanity without posing undue risks. Bengio urges caution and thoughtful engagement as this technology continues to develop.
