As governments worldwide scramble to implement safeguards for artificial intelligence, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned Thursday against rushing to regulate the rapidly evolving technology before it is fully understood.
Sunak cautioned against acting too quickly, even as he outlined a slew of risks that AI could bring, ranging from making it easier to build chemical or biological weapons to its use by terrorist groups to instil fear or criminals to carry out cyberattacks or fraud. He believes that while AI has the potential to transform life, it should be a global priority to mitigate the risks of human extinction that it may bring, similar to pandemics and nuclear war, reports Technology News UK.
Governments are the only ones who can keep people safe from the risks of AI, and it should not be left up to the tech companies developing it, he said in a speech ahead of an AI safety summit he’ll host next week.
According to Sunak, “AI developers shouldn’t grade their own assignments since they frequently have an incomplete understanding of the potential capabilities of their models. Risks to national security can only be accurately assessed by governments. The only entities with the authority and right to defend their citizens are nation-states. The UK, however, implements regulations swiftly. How do we make sense-based laws for things we don’t fully understand?”
With the recent rise in popularity of general-purpose AI systems like ChatGPT, which has aroused both excitement and fear, authorities are scrambling to control artificial intelligence.