Machines have shown some impressive flashes of intelligence in recent years. Do we need to start teaching them right from wrong?
Even if you don’t fear the imminent rise of super-intelligent machines, there’s reason to cheer new funding going into researching the topic, as it could help make artificial intelligence more practical in the near term.
Recent progress in computer science, especially machine learning, has coincided with some remarkably forthright speculation about where artificial intelligence could be taking us. Last year, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk openly warned that AI research risked “summoning the demon” and could pose the “biggest existential threat” to humanity. Other prominent figures, including Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking, have also expressed concern about the potential risks of developing truly intelligent machines.
The Future of Life Institute, an organization founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to mitigate the potential existential risks posed by AI, this week announced $7 million in grants for projects dedicated to “keeping AI robust and beneficial.” The grant was funded in large part by Musk, who has given $10 million to the institute.
It will be difficult, if not impossible to make true AI free of immorality and psychosis, IMO. To read more, click here.