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Experts say risk of extinction by AI should be a global priority

What started off as a harmless chatbot capable of answering our questions back in November 2022 in the form of ChatGPT has quickly become a global concern. 2023’s hottest buzzword and technology AI has been making headlines every day for notorious reasons. It was just a few weeks back when the Whitehouse representatives met with major AI CEOs to discuss the data privacy concerns surrounding AI. Now, industry experts and technology leaders have signed an open letter which says that AI may lead to human extinction!

AI could lead to human extinction

“Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war” read the statement recently released by tech leaders around the world. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI which made ChatGPT along with executives from Google’s AI arm DeepMind and Microsoft were among those who signed the short statement from the Center of AI Safety.

Sam Altman, who can be credited as the man who brought chatbot AI technology into the mainstream has been campaigning against the possible risks of the technology for the longest time now. He was the one who suggested that there should be multiple safety resources and regulations imposed upon AI in order to stop the technology from taking over the world.

The technology has managed to gain massive pace in recent months with the outlandish success of ChatGPT which managed to cross 100 million users in just two months since its launch. The statement released recently revealed that there have been increasing discussions about a broad spectrum of important and urgent risks from AI. Sam Altman admitted back in March that he is scared of AI as he worries authoritarian governments could develop the technology to cause harm to humanity. The concept of an AI becoming a threat to humanity was only previously seen in films like The Avengers or Terminator but we’re living in times where it could become a reality! Will a real-life Skynet ever come into existence? It is too soon to answer that just yet!

Microsoft to solve ChatGPT privacy concerns with new version

It was not long ago when it was revealed that tech giants like Samsung have started banning generative AI tools like ChatGPT in offices. The reason behind the ban was reportedly due to concerns regarding privacy and alleged data leaks. On the other hand, various countries from around the world have also started questioning the credibility of generative AI tools with regard to data privacy. Now, it is revealed that Microsoft is working on a new version of ChatGPT which addresses the privacy concerns surrounding the AI platform.

Safer ChatGPT is on its way

Microsoft has reportedly negotiated a $10 billion deal with OpenAI to produce a secure version of ChatGPT which allows people to benefit from the technology without privacy concerns. While this is a welcoming change for sure, readers should note that the new version which focuses extensively on privacy might cost users more than ten times the current cost of ChatGPT Plus.

OpenAi has been in troubled waters since the inception of ChatGPT last year facing privacy concerns from different locations. Authorities in Italy have also put a temporary ban on the chatbot over privacy concerns. The company now aims to get more clients including IT and banking companies on board.

On the other hand, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed in a recent interview that the company will no longer be using customer data in order to train GPT-4. The decision was made after customers expressed their opposition to the use of their data. It surely is a step in the right direction however it is unsure how the company will be tackling the data privacy concerns. The new privacy-centric ChatGPT is expected to roll out later this quarter.

Italy bans ChatGPT over privacy concerns

ChatGPT’s inception in November 2022 has led to what can only be called the AI revolution. OpenAI’s monumental AI chatbot has taken over the world by storm bringing the technology into the mainstream narrative. ChatGPT’s success has woken up tech giants like Google to experiment with AI and bring their own AI services into the market. Even Microsoft’s pioneer Bill Gates cannot stop praising ChatGPT calling it the most ‘revolutionary’ technology in the past 40 years. While one side of the spectrum has massive admiration and awe of AI, the flip side has reasonable concerns. AI becoming a part of people’s routine lives is being touted as a dangerous development by many and now, the first known instance of an official government blocking ChatGPT has come forward.

Italy temporarily bans ChatGPT

As per New York Times, Italy’s data protection authority has accused OpenAI of stealing user data. Besides this, the Italian authorities also said that ChatGPT does not feature an age-verification system to per cent minors from being exposed to illicit material. Italy has now become the first country to ban ChatGPT over privacy concerns. With this Italy is added to the list of countries where ChatGPT is restricted, OpenAI has deliberately remained inaccessible in China, Russia, and North Korea.

Sam Altman took to Twitter following the ban tweeting, “We of course defer to the Italian government and have ceased offering ChatGPT in Italy (though we think we are following all privacy laws). Italy is one of my favorite countries and I look forward to visiting again soon!”

OpenAI has been asked to block users of Italy from gaining access to ChatGPT until additional information has been turned in by the company. OpenAI now has 20 days to provide Italy’s data protection agency with additional material and possible remedies before a final decision will be drawn for the tech in the country.

So what does ChatGPT thinks about this move? A user asked ChatGPT recently whether it will be banned in Italy because of privacy concerns and the chatbot replied, “There should be no concerns…I am an artificial intelligence language model that can be accessed from anywhere in the world as long as there is an internet connection”

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warns developers to put safety limits on ChatGPT-like apps

The AI race is now in full swing. Many if not all tech players around the world have now stepped into the arena to battle out the AI wars and emerge as number one. Currently, OpenAI is leading the charts with its monumental ChatGPT which made waves across the world after launching in November 2022. However, while humanity is amazed at the capabilities of what conversational general AI is capable of doing, the flip side includes major concerns. Is it safe? Will it replace my job? Will AI become sentient? What is the future? are some of the questions running around on the internet surrounding ChatGPT and similar services which have either been released or are waiting to be released in the near future. Recently, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman sat down for an interview with ABC News where he shared his concerns about the AI race –

Sam Altman’s views on the AI race

During the interview, one major concern Sam Altman warned about was that there will be other developers who make a service similar to ChatGPT but do not put any safety limits on it. As of now, if ChatGPT is asked to write essays on controversial topics, it refuses to do so. Altman shared that not having safety protocols in place for a ChatGPT clone would be dire as the society as a whole does not have enough time to figure out how to react to it. Sam added furthermore that he is particularly worried about these large-scale language models being used to spread misinformation.

The OpenAI CEO was transparent about the issues concerning AI and also shared that AI will eventually cut a lot of current jobs. Altman was quoted saying “We’ve got to be careful here. I think people should be happy that we are a little bit scared of this” When confronted as to why he feels scared about AI, he said if he doesn’t express his fright then people should either not trust him or be very unhappy that he is in this position. We’re only at the beginning of the AI revolution thus painting a pessimistic picture of the same is not fair. However, it will be interesting to see if this new technology is a boon or a curse to humanity!