Recently, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei penned an article online advising companies to slow down the rate of development of AI capabilities. He cautioned that AI systems could go out of control by human operators. AI could be used in cyberattacks, financial hijacks or bioterrorism. He advised that international cooperation should be established around AI development with watchdogs to monitor safety procedures and report glitches.
President Trump pooh-poohed concerns that AI could get out of hand. Our fearless leader claimed “negative forces” were making claims about things that won’t happen and he called the uproar a hoax. He said the only guardrail that AI needs is a smart (high IQ) president. He said we already have tremendous criminal and regulatory power over these companies. (Note the loopholes in crypto regulations.)
Meanwhile, at a conference in Shanghai, President Xi of China said AI should not be dominated by any one country and he encouraged global cooperation. He stressed that we should oppose the tactic of exaggerating the concept of national security in the area of artificial intelligence and of placing one’s own security above that of other countries. Some technology analysts now think China is no longer just catching up with the U.S. and has become a groundbreaker in AI.
The Trump administration came in promising to be “hands off” AI regulation, noting the stock market gains due to a large volume of AI investments in the last 18 months. It would be wise for our government to look at innovative models regarding cybersecurity risks and enact greater regulation of AI technology.
If Trump wants a Nobel Prize so badly, he should strive to make a deal with President Xi to avoid Mutual AI Destruction.
Don Hiddleson, Millcreek