Experts warn of the risk of extinction due to AI.

In a solemn cautionary declaration, prominent figures, including OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman, emphasize the peril of superintelligent AI, equating it to the grave threats of nuclear armaments and global pandemics.

Published on May 30th on the Center for AI Safety (CAIS) website in San Francisco, the statement underscores the urgent need for a worldwide prioritization in mitigating the risk of AI-induced extinction. It resonates with other societal-scale hazards such as pandemics and nuclear warfare.

Endorsed by a distinguished cohort of 350 signatories, comprising industry leaders and esteemed experts in the field of AI, the list features notable names like Demis Hassabis, the distinguished head of Google DeepMind, Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, revered scholar Yoshua Bengio, and the venerable Geoffrey Hinton, revered as the “godfather” of AI, who recently severed ties with Google to directly address the looming threats of artificial intelligence. Notably absent from this group is any representation from Meta, the company also embarking on the quest for superintelligent AI.

In a remarkable show of unity, distinguished figures numbering over 1,000, hailed as the “technological elite,” including visionaries like billionaire Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, appended their names to a momentous missive. The missive fervently implores corporations and global institutions to momentarily halt their fevered pursuit of superintelligent AI, allowing a six-month respite for the collective establishment of a comprehensive regulatory framework governing this transformative technology.

Amidst the vernal days of April, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai candidly confessed to the restive nights that beset him, tormented by the potential perils of AI. He ardently voiced his apprehension, cautioning that the dominion of artificial intelligence could surpass all that humanity has ever encountered in terms of danger. With society yet unprepared to grapple with the breakneck pace of AI’s evolution, Pichai emphasized the catastrophic consequences that could ensue if AI were to be mismanaged. “It has the potential to unleash disaster if deployed without due diligence. One fateful day, AI will transcend the bounds of human imagination, and the gravest ramifications lie beyond our grasp,” he solemnly confided to CBS.

In a parallel vein, Sam Altman, the illustrious co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, espouses the immense potential of AI to yield substantial benefits. However, he harbors apprehensions regarding the dissemination of misinformation, economic upheavals, and the advent of the unknown, surpassing human preparedness. Altman remains steadfast in his concerns about AI and admits to being astounded by the widespread adoption of ChatGPT.

Within the realm of AI’s burgeoning fervor, experts are gravely preoccupied with a loftier construct known as Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). A recent survey conducted by Stanford University revealed that 56% of computer scientists and AI researchers firmly anticipate the imminent emergence of AGI. Fortune suggests that AGI, with its profound complexities and cognitive self-awareness, surpasses generative AI models. In theory, this technological progression holds the potential to instill trepidation in humanity’s future.

Alarming statistics unveiled by the aforementioned survey indicate that 58% of AI experts deem AGI a “major concern,” with 36% postulating its potential to yield a cataclysm on par with nuclear devastation. The notion of AGI also gives rise to the concept of a “technological singularity” – a hypothetical juncture in the future where machines transcend human capacities in an irreversible manner, thereby posing a grave threat to our civilization.

“The astonishing strides achieved in AI and AGI models over the past few years are undeniable,” articulated Demis Hassabis, the CEO of DeepMind, in an interview with Fortune. “I perceive no justification for the pace of progress to decelerate. We have a scant few years, or at most a decade, to make adequate preparations.”