The topic of artificial intelligence has been making a lot of noise recently from its ability to aid students in assignments to the new, somewhat creepy, Snapchat feature. While some people find AI awesome others are skeptical about its potential to take over the world. Claims of Terminator-style robots taking over the world may sound ridiculous to some people, but they may be worth listening to.
Geoffrey Hinton, who is said to be one the pioneers of AI, just recently left his job at Google and tweeted: “I left so that I could talk about the dangers of AI without considering how this impacts Google.” Very mysterious, but what exactly are these dangers? OpenAI’s GPT-4, which was released on March 13, is much more advanced than previous models causing developers to grow concerned with how close it is getting to becoming smarter than humans. GPT (generative pre-trained transformer) uses a neural network which is a computer system modeled based on the human brain and nervous system. Models are pre-trained to learn patterns and relationships in language that can be later used to respond appropriately to text that is inputted. GPT-4 can already learn faster than humans, but future AI will eventually be able to interpret pictures, movements, and actions.
This kind of progress was projected to happen in another three decades. However, it appears to be happening within the next two years. Hinton compares the advancements in AI to the invention of the wheel or electricity because of how revolutionary it is. Hinton’s central concerns are how AI’s power could be used with ill intent. AI voice generators can mimic human voices accurately and manipulate the sound to make them say anything. They can even generate images and videos that you could easily perceive as the real thing.
That is not Tom Cruise in the video above, but it definitely could fool most people. Hinton speculates that these kinds of tools will be used to spread misinformation, especially through social media platforms. The phrase “Don’t be evil” is Google’s code of conduct when it comes to using AI. It could be a helpful tool in the world as long as it is properly regulated; however, right now it is not.
With different rivaling tech companies creating their versions of AI, it could become a major issue if the AI race grows out of control as companies compete to be the next leaders in technology. They are racing to release the best versions, even if it is not in the best interest of the public. Elon Musk, who is working on rolling out his version called TruthGPT, signed a letter agreeing to a six-month pause in the development of AI. Musk believes AI needs to be regulated even though it is not ideal. He speculates that the full power of AI is not well-known and regulated, and it needs to be before its development continues. Hopefully, the future of AI will be a positive one as it is going to be prominent in our future.
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