Leaders in the artificial intelligence sector, including Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, are now advocating for a slowdown or even a shutdown of AI development. These calls are accompanied by demands for increased government regulation and international coordination.
The shift comes amidst fears that, without adequate safeguards, AI systems could lead to catastrophic events in the near future. Potential outcomes range from the extinction of humanity to significant economic damage amounting to billions of dollars.
This concern is not new, having been raised previously by independent academics. However, the situation is complicated by the fact that both OpenAI and Anthropic are reportedly preparing for Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). Some critics suggest that these calls for greater regulation might be an attempt at regulatory capture by major US AI companies, particularly as Chinese AI models are catching up to US "frontier" models.
Beyond future catastrophic risks, AI is already causing problems, including environmental impact, the spread of misinformation, and job displacement. Additionally, many AI models were built using vast amounts of human art and writing without compensation or permission, and AI companies are reportedly seeking to curb proposed laws that would limit their access to such material.
Sandra Wachter, a professor of technology at the Oxford Internet Institute, has stated that AI is currently causing real problems. Despite the perceived inevitability of AI's widespread adoption, historical examples like nuclear nonproliferation and gene editing regulation suggest that societal decisions and international cooperation can influence technological development.