And Billionaire Bill Gates Thinks Risks Are Manageable
The United Nations Security Council will hold its first official discussion on artificial intelligence (AI) this week in New York, and The UK will call for international dialogue about its impact on global peace and security.
Governments around the world are considering how to mitigate the dangers posed by the emergence of artificial intelligence technology that could reshape the global economy and reshape the international security landscape.
Meanwhile, as CNN points out, billionaire Bill Gates appears to , is less concerned than some other Silicon Valley executives about the risks posed by artificial intelligence.
In a blog post last week, the Microsoft co-founder outlined some of the biggest challenges posed by artificial intelligence, including the potential for misinformation to spread and job displacement. But he stressed that these risks are “manageable.”
“This is not the first time that a major innovation has resulted in new threats that need to be controlled,” Gates wrote. “We've done this before.”
Bill Gates compared artificial intelligence to previous «transformative» societal changes such as the introduction of the automobile, which then required the public to enforce seat belts, speed limits, driver's licenses and other safety standards. Innovation, he says, can create “great turbulence” in the beginning, but society can “get better in the end.”
As CNN recalls, Microsoft is one of the leaders in the race to develop and implement a new generation of generative artificial intelligence tools into popular products that promise to help people be more productive and creative. But a number of industry leaders have also publicly voiced doomsday scenarios related to rapidly advancing technology.
At the end of May, technology leaders, including Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott, joined dozens of AI researchers and some celebrities in signing a one-sentence letter that said: “Reducing the risk of extinction due to AI must become a global priority along with other risks.” on a societal scale, such as pandemics and nuclear war.”
Gates has previously said that people should not “panic” about artificial intelligence apocalyptic scenarios. In a blog post earlier this year, Gates wrote: “Can a machine decide that humans are a threat, conclude that its interests are different from ours, or simply stop caring about us? Perhaps, but the problem is no more relevant today than it was before the developments in artificial intelligence over the past few months.”
In a blog post this week, Gates noted that he believes one of the biggest concerns of AI is the potential for AI-generated deep fakes and misinformation to undermine elections and democracy. Gates says he is «hopeful» that «artificial intelligence can help identify deep forgeries as well as create them.» He also said laws should be clear on the use of deep counterfeiting and labeling “so that everyone understands when something they see or hear is not genuine.”
Bill Gates also expressed concern about how artificial intelligence can make it easier for hackers and even countries to carry out cyberattacks on people and governments. The billionaire called for the development of appropriate cybersecurity measures, and governments to consider creating a global body on AI, similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Gates touched on other issues as well, including how artificial intelligence can put people out of work, perpetuate the biases embedded in the data it learns from, and even disrupt the way children learn to write.
“ It reminds me of the time when electronic calculators became widespread in the 1970s and 1980s, says Bill Gates. “Some math teachers were worried that students would stop learning the basics of arithmetic, but others embraced the new technology and focused on the thinking skills behind arithmetic.”
According to Gates, it is “natural to feel uncomfortable” during the transition period , but added that he is optimistic about the future and that “history shows that it is possible to solve the problems created by new technologies.”
“This is the most transformative innovation that any of us will see in our lives — claims the billionaire, “and a healthy public debate will depend on how everyone is aware of the technology, its benefits and risks.”