In the past few years, the world has seen huge advancements in artificial intelligence, with chatbots being able to have almost human-like conversations with users in real time, and image generators conjuring realistic-looking photos based on word prompts.
While proponents of the advancing technology have lauded its ability to increase creativity and streamline work, others are more critical, even warning of potential catastrophes.
Stanford’s 2023 Artificial Intelligence Index Report highlights a study which revealed 36% of the Natural Language Processing (NLP) research community said AI decisions could cause "nuclear-level catastrophe." Seventy-three percent of respondents said it could lead to "revolutionary societal change."
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The survey, which was conducted by researchers from three different universities, asked participants to agree or disagree with the statement "It is possible that decisions made by AI or machine learning systems could cause a catastrophe this century that is a least as bad as an all-out nuclear war." Overall, more researchers disagreed with the statement than agreed with it.
Natural Language Processing (NLP) describes research at the intersection of language and artificial intelligence, which trains machines to process and analyze large amounts of data.
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Concern about the future of artificial intelligence was shared among non-researchers as well. In 2022, a Pew Research study found that 37% of Americans feel more concerned than excited about the use of AI technology, and 45% feel equally concerned and excited.
Of those Americans who were concerned, the loss of human jobs, as well as surveillance, hacking, and digital privacy were the most concerning topics.
This is not the first time artificial intelligence has been linked to nuclear advancements. Sam Altman, the CEO and founder of OpenAI, which is responsible for AI chatbot ChatGPT, has compared his company’s work to the Manhattan Project.
"As Mr. Altman sipped a sweet wine in lieu of dessert, he compared his company to the Manhattan Project," the New York Times reported earlier this month, based on a 2019 interview. "As if he were chatting about tomorrow’s weather forecast, he said the U.S. effort to build an atomic bomb during the Second World War had been a ‘project on the scale of OpenAI – the level of ambition we aspire to."
