Former OpenAI safety researcher brands pace of AI development ‘terrifying’
A former safety researcher at OpenAI says he is “pretty terrified” about the pace of development in artificial intelligence, warning the industry is taking a “very risky gamble” on the technology.
Steven Adler expressed concerns about companies seeking to rapidly develop artificial general intelligence (AGI), a theoretical term referring to systems that match or exceed humans at any intellectual task.
Adler, who left OpenAI in November, said in a series of posts on X that he’d had a “wild ride” at the US company and would miss “many parts of it”.
However, he said the technology was developing so quickly it raised doubts about the future of humanity.
“I’m pretty terrified by the pace of AI development these days,” he said. “When I think about where I’ll raise a future family, or how much to save for retirement, I can’t help but wonder: will humanity even make it to that point?”
Some experts, such as Nobel prize winner Geoffrey Hinton, fear that powerful AI systems could evade human control with potentially catastrophic consequences. [Continue reading…]