Musk, Experts Urge AI Development Pause

    Photo: SOPA Images/Getty Images [via CNET]

    The Facts

    • In an open letter issued by the Future of Life Institute, Artificial Intelligence (AI) experts — including SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque, and Google researchers — have called for a six-month pause in developing systems more powerful than OpenAI's newly launched GPT-4.

    • The Future of Life Institute is a non-profit that focuses on "steering transformative technology towards benefiting life and away from extreme large-scale risks."


    The Spin

    Narrative A

    It’s time to take a breather as we figure out the best way to live peacefully with and avoid some of the pitfalls of this rapidly advancing technology. Just as other technology has safety measures in place, we need similar rules for AI.

    Narrative B

    Musk isn’t afraid of what AI technology will do; he’s just concerned he’ll lose the race to develop the best and most profitable AI systems in the world. He left OpenAI over a power struggle, and Musk's motives for participating in this letter are purely business.

    Nerd narrative

    There's a 55% chance that there will be a positive transition to a world with radically smarter-than-human artificial intelligence, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


    Public figures in this story



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