“We are working on dangerous things.”
The AI epidemic
An AI pioneer and former Google executive has issued a stark warning about the technology he helped light up the world — and it’s sure to go viral.
Google DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleiman said in a recent episode of the “CEO’s Diary” podcast, “The darkest scenario is that people will experiment with pathogens, engineered synthetic pathogens that can accidentally or intentionally become more infectious.”
AI-modified viruses could “spread faster or become (more deadly),” Suleman said, ultimately causing “more harm” and potentially even killing people “like a pandemic.”
“We are working on dangerous things,” he added. “We can’t let anyone access them. We need to limit who can use AI software, cloud systems and some biological materials.”
As more people learn how to use the technology than ever before, there’s no stopping anyone from genetically engineering a never-before-seen viral pathogen and unleashing it on the world – which is why DeepMind’s co-founders are advocating a “containment” policy on AI similar to NATO’s for nuclear weapons.
“We have to limit access to tools,” Suleman said, “and know how to do these kinds of experiments.”
Engineer virus
Now CEO and co-founder of Inflection AI, Suleman will attend the AI Summit led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in Washington, DC later this month, which will also feature other industry luminaries such as OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman. , Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and of course Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Many of Suleman’s fellow AI forum attendees echoed his concerns.
A recent excerpt from Musk’s forthcoming biography, for example, details how the multi-hyphenate billionaire discussed the dangers of AI with both former President Barack Obama and Google co-founder Larry Page, who, to his recollection, neither was willing to do anything about it. .
No doubt these brilliant (and controversial) minds will have a lot to say about our AI future – although it’s unclear whether anyone is as concerned about AI-influenced epidemics as Suleiman.
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