Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

High-profile tech leaders say AI is developing too fast and we should pause. Google's Bard says it's complicated.

High-profile tech leaders say AI is developing too fast and we should pause. Google's Bard says it's complicated.

If you ask a chatbot whether artificial intelligence is growing too fast, it will equivocate. If you ask a group of high-profile tech leaders and researchers, they'll answer a firm "yes."
"There is no definitive answer to this question as it is a complex issue with many different perspectives," Google's AI engine, Bard, told Insider as part of a response to a query about whether the technology is developing at an unsafe pace.

Yet some of the brightest minds behind the development of AI and a roster of bold-faced tech names argued this week that it is indeed time to pump the brakes. That could involve companies coming up with standards and declaring how they are using or plan to use AI, business leaders told Insider.

In a letter that had drawn more than 1,800 signatures, luminaries from Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Twitter, to Steve Wozniak, a cofounder of Apple, to researchers from top universities including Harvard and Oxford said the world is moving too fast in adopting AI without understanding the ramifications of going big on a fundamentally different type of technology.

"Recent months have seen AI labs locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever-more-powerful digital minds that no one — not even their creators — can understand, predict, or reliably control," the letter reads.

Insider's Emilia David also wrote that calling a time-out makes a lot of sense.

While the letter agrees that engineers should develop AI systems, what's causing alarm is that there are no agreed-upon guardrails for how models like ChatGPT, GPT4, Bard, and other generative-AI systems should operate.

"Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable," the letter read.

To get there, companies like SAP, the German software giant that helps businesses with financial reporting, inventory tracking, and human-resources services, are establishing standards for their own teams. Others, like PwC, the global accounting-and-consulting firm, advised CEOs to be open about how and where they're incorporating the technology.

"AI is a fast-moving field of technology that is also creating new possibilities every day," Sebastian Wieczorek, the vice president of artificial-intelligence technology and the global lead of AI ethics at SAP, told Insider.

All businesses should be asking themselves whether they know what AI is doing, Wes Bricker, a vice chair at PwC, told Insider.

"AI will transform significant areas of the business," he said, and as we all discover how tech will enable us all to do our jobs better, "business leaders have a responsibility for being transparent as we learn more about AI."

It's no secret that AI is fast-moving, sometimes with unexpected consequences. Bing's Sydney AI chatbot, anyone? Goldman Sachs said this week that AI could boost worker productivity so much that annual world GDP could jump by 7%.

"It's a constant update," Wieczorek said of SAP. He said questions SAP teams are asking include, "How can we improve that?" "What are the steps that they're taking so that we can see the available data?" "What's the value that we can achieve?" "What's the accuracy we can achieve with technologies at hand?"

Bricker said business leaders need to work on improving the rules around AI systems and processes. "Do we have good, clear governance guidelines, so that we understand where we're using it, and we're not misusing it or overusing it?" he said, adding that AI needs to be "understandable and explainable."

AI uses extensive amounts of data, much of it sensitive, and "businesses have a responsibility to protect that data," Bricker said. He added that they need to understand "where AI is placing the experience or security at risk."

There are many reasons businesses and consumers might be excited about — and embrace — AI. For one, Wieczorek said, many businesses grapple with similar types of problems that AI could help remedy. These include challenges around internal and external communications, financing, HR processes, promotions, training, and retirement planning.

SAP focuses its AI development on the improvement and standardization of common business processes. One thing Wieczorek said he reminds his teams of is that the way engineers build programs like ChatGPT, GPT4 or Bard mostly trains the programs on text. They eventually need to be trained on other types of data, such as images. "These models seem to be simple and rudimentary. It can answer mathematical equations or riddles, but not to the extent humans can right now," Wieczorek said.

Humans should be at the center of any AI-ethics policy, Wieczorek said. "We want to support humans in making decisions. In fact, for every use case, SAP mandates a series of questions to assess risk, including questions about processing personal and sensitive data."'

Bard has its own idea about a world that contains more AI: "I am aware that AI has the potential to cause harm, and I am concerned about the potential risks of AI. However, I am also confident that AI can be used for good, and that we can develop AI in a way that minimizes the risks and maximizes the benefits."
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×