Yoshua Bengio, Mila’s founder and scientific director, published an article on his website explaining why he signed the open letter requesting a pause in advancing AI systems superior to GPT-4. In his article, Bengio discussed how such developments could be potentially dangerous.
He signed the letter to explain his vision and respond to the most commonly asked questions: will it be enough to make a difference? In a long text, he thoroughly detailed his thought process behind the decision, striving to demonstrate how this action is only one step among many needed.
Yoshua Bengio says:
“It is because there is an unexpected acceleration –I probably would not have signed such a letter a year ago– that we need to take a step back, and that my opinion on these topics has changed.”
“We must continue to fight for the well-being of humanity and for the development of beneficial AI applications, such as those to address the climate crisis. This will require changes at the level of each country and the adoption of international treaties. We succeeded in regulating nuclear weapons on a global scale after World War II, we can reach a similar agreement for AI.”
Bengio’s statement is an important reminder of the need to approach AI development cautiously and carefully. While these technologies can potentially transform our world in many positive ways, it is important to ensure that they are developed and used responsibly, ethically, and transparently. By working together, we can create a future in which AI is used to benefit all of society rather than just a select few.
Source: Mila
