ChatGPT Creator Agrees AI Is ‘Potentially Scary,’ Offers Advice For Its Future
Artificial intelligence has been on a real kick recently, and with that comes an unnerving realization that society is hurtling toward a future it might not be prepared for. Suppose you have used or read of any chatbots that have performed extraordinary feats and felt unsettled by their vast capabilities. In that case, you’re not alone, as ChatGPT’s creator and CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, might feel the same way too.
In a series of tweets from the CEO, he notes that AI is not “that far from a potentially scary” future. However, he also states that incorporating such systems into our lives is still “mostly good.” It does seem like these models come with a host of benefits, but if not monitored closely, it could pose a threat to society.
One instance of AI potentially being unnerving is the evergrowing need for it to sound as close to humans as possible. While that is impressive from a technological standpoint, it might not be something people are ready for.
a transition like this is mostly good, and can happen somewhat fast—the transition from the pre-smartphone world to post-smartphone world is a recent example.
— Sam Altman (@sama) February 19, 2023
but it’ll be tempting to go super quickly, which is frightening—society needs time to adapt to something so big.
On the other hand, AI has also not been trained well enough to understand the complexities of human life. It is still rampant with biases that could bring unnecessary harm to different minority groups. Elsewhere, it might be doing more damage to the art community than good.
That’s not to say that without proper handling, it could not one day be a vital resource in the same way smartphones have become part and parcel of everyday life.
Altman has thus also given some direction to which he hopes companies would adhere. First, he states that regulation is critical. In this sense, it means protecting people and their privacy by building limitations that uphold fundamental human rights. He notes that as AI becomes a commodity, the world can not always rely on the “good faith of companies and individuals” to maintain such allowances. However, this will take time to figure out.
we also need enough time for our institutions to figure out what to do. regulation will be critical and will take time to figure out; although current-generation AI tools aren’t very scary, i think we are potentially not that far away from potentially scary ones.
— Sam Altman (@sama) February 19, 2023
Either way, the world is moving to a future with AI, and while it might be an exciting time for the tech sphere, Altman’s words serve as a reminder of how society should tread cautiously into the new age.
[via Lifewire and Benzinga, ID 68845311 © John Williams | Dreamstime.com]
