Inside Silicon Valley's AI sector, fierce divisions are growing over the impact of a new wave of artificial intelligence: While some argue it's imperative to race ahead, others say the technology presents an existential risk.
Those tensions took center stage late last month, when Elon Musk, along with other tech executives and academics, signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on developing "human-competitive" AI, citing "profound risks to society and humanity." Self-described decision theorist Eliezer Yudkowsky, co-founder of the nonprofit Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI), went further: AI development needs to be shut down worldwide, he wrote in a Time magazine op-ed, calling for American airstrikes on foreign data centers if necessary.
The policy world didn't seem to know how seriously to heed these warnings. Asked if AI is dangerous, President Biden said Tuesday, "It remains to be seen. Could be."
The dystopian visions are familiar to many inside Silicon Valley's insular AI sector, where a small group of strange but influential subcultures have clashed in recent months. One sect is certain AI could kill us all. Another says this technology will empower humanity to flourish if deployed correctly. Others suggest the six-month pause proposed by Musk, who will reportedly launch his own AI lab, was designed to help him catch up.
The subgroups can be fairly fluid, even when they appear contradictory and insiders sometimes disagree on basic definitions.
But these once-fringe worldviews could shape pivotal debates on AI. Here is a quick guide to decoding the ideologies (and financial incentives) behind the factions... WaPo
Those tensions took center stage late last month, when Elon Musk, along with other tech executives and academics, signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on developing "human-competitive" AI, citing "profound risks to society and humanity." Self-described decision theorist Eliezer Yudkowsky, co-founder of the nonprofit Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI), went further: AI development needs to be shut down worldwide, he wrote in a Time magazine op-ed, calling for American airstrikes on foreign data centers if necessary.
The policy world didn't seem to know how seriously to heed these warnings. Asked if AI is dangerous, President Biden said Tuesday, "It remains to be seen. Could be."
The dystopian visions are familiar to many inside Silicon Valley's insular AI sector, where a small group of strange but influential subcultures have clashed in recent months. One sect is certain AI could kill us all. Another says this technology will empower humanity to flourish if deployed correctly. Others suggest the six-month pause proposed by Musk, who will reportedly launch his own AI lab, was designed to help him catch up.
The subgroups can be fairly fluid, even when they appear contradictory and insiders sometimes disagree on basic definitions.
But these once-fringe worldviews could shape pivotal debates on AI. Here is a quick guide to decoding the ideologies (and financial incentives) behind the factions... WaPo
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