( SAN FRANCISCO ) – Despite warnings from experts about the development and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), its existential threats may be “overblown,” according to New York University emeritus professor Gary Marcus. Marcus, who has been cautioning against AI’s ultra-fast development and adoption, stated that he is not concerned about extinction risk, at least for now. However, he warned that we are building AI systems that we do not have very good control over, which poses a lot of risks, although these may not be literally existential.
Marcus, who designed his first AI programme in high school, founded Geometric Intelligence, a machine learning company later acquired by Uber, after years of studying child psychology. In March, he signed an open letter with more than 1,000 people, including Elon Musk, calling for a global pause in AI development, alarmed that ChatGPT creator OpenAI was releasing its latest and more powerful AI model with Microsoft.
While Marcus is worried about democracy in the short term, he still sees a lot of upside, stating that AI yet to be invented can “help with science, with medicine, with elder care.” However, Marcus believes that we are not yet ready for AI’s development and adoption, and regulations are necessary to up our game and figure out serious regulation. At a US Senate hearing in May, Marcus argued for the creation of a national or international agency responsible for AI governance. Altman, who has just returned from a European tour, also backs the idea of finding the “right balance” between safety and innovation. Nonetheless, Marcus warned against leaving the power to corporations, stating that the big companies calling the shots are not necessarily interested in the rest of us.
