1,100+ prominent signatories have now signed an open letter calling for “a halt to all AI labs for at least 6 months.”

As of this writing, more than 1,100 signatories, including Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak and Tristan Harris of the Center for Humane Technology, have signed an open letter calling for “all AI labs to immediately halt training for at least 6 months.” AI systems are more powerful than GPT-4. The letter reads:

Modern AI systems are now becoming human-competitive in general tasks;[3] And we must ask ourselves: Should we allow machines to flood our information channels with propaganda and lies? Should we automate all tasks, including satisfaction? Will we eventually develop non-human minds that are outnumbered, smarter, obsolete, and replace us? Should we risk taking control of our civilization? Such decisions should not be left to unelected technology leaders. Powerful AI systems should only be developed when we are confident that their results will be positive and that their harms can be dealt with.

He goes on to argue that there is a “level of planning and management” that is “not happening” and instead that unnamed “AI labs” have been “locked in unregulated competition” in recent months. They deploy more powerful digital minds that no one – not even their creator – can understand, predict or control.

The letter’s signatories, some of whom are AI experts, say the pause they are calling for must be “public and verifiable and involve all key actors.” “It can’t be implemented quickly enough. Governments will have to step in and impose a ban,” the letter continues.

We are still figuring this out (while others have already said Tearing).

Certainly, it’s just as much fun for the people who signed it — which includes some Meta and Google engineers. Imad Mostaque, founder and CEO of Stability AI; And people who aren’t into technology, including a self-proclaimed electrician and beautician — as for the have-nots. No one from OpenAI, the outfit behind the massive language model GPT-4, signed this letter, for example. No one has done anything other than Anthroposic, the team out of OpenAI, to build a “trusted” AI chatbot.

Until then, you can read it in full here.