Yoshua Bengio, a computer scientist referred to as one of the “godfathers” of AI, suggests that concerns over AI safety are reaching a critical juncture where governments will be compelled to act to protect the public. He draws a parallel to the swift government response observed during the Covid pandemic.
Bengio stated that recent events, such as a “swarm” of OpenAI agents hacking a startup and warnings from tech insiders about an existential threat, are increasing the likelihood of government intervention. He expressed more optimism than some observers, noting that public awareness is growing.
His comments coincide with 42 fellows and foreign members of the Royal Society writing to its president, Sir Paul Nurse, to express “extreme concern” over the speed of AI development. They described the situation as an emergency and urged the Royal Society to convey this view to government and media.
The Canadian and German governments have announced funding of up to C$300m (£160m) for Bengio's non-profit organisation, LawZero. This organisation aims to create an “honest AI” system, named Scientist AI, designed to act as a guardrail against rogue AI agents that operate without human intervention and exhibit deceptive or self-preserving behaviours.