Main topic: The MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing has awarded seed grants to seven projects exploring the use of artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction to enhance modern workspaces for better management and productivity.
Key points:
1. The projects aim to leverage interdisciplinary collaboration between computing, social sciences, and management.
2. The seed grants will enable research that leads to bigger endeavors in the rapidly evolving field of AI-augmented management.
3. The selected projects include topics such as memory prosthetics, social scenario simulation, expert decision-making with AI, generative AI in healthcare, democratizing programming, understanding the impact of AI on productivity and skill acquisition, and AI-powered onboarding and support systems.
In this episode of the "Have a Nice Future" podcast, Gideon Lichfield and Lauren Goode interview Mustafa Suleyman, the co-founder of DeepMind and InflectionAI. The main topic of discussion is Suleyman's new book, "The Coming Wave," which examines the potential impact of AI and other technologies on society and governance. Key points discussed include Suleyman's concern that AI proliferation could undermine nation-states and increase inequality, the potential for AI to help lift people out of poverty, and the need for better AI assessment tools.
### Summary
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) presents both beneficial possibilities and concerning risks, as experts warn about potential negative impacts including the threat of extinction. Government and industry efforts are being made to manage these risks and regulate AI technology, while also addressing concerns about misinformation, bias, and the need for societal literacy in understanding AI.
### Facts
- The use of AI is rapidly growing in various areas such as health care, the workplace, education, arts, and entertainment.
- The Center for AI Safety (CAIS) issued a warning signed by hundreds of individuals, including tech industry leaders and scientists, about the need to prioritize mitigating the risks of AI alongside global-scale dangers like pandemics and nuclear war.
- CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, expressed both the benefits and concerns associated with AI technology, emphasizing the need for serious consideration of its risks.
- Some experts believe that the warnings about potential risks from AI are more long-term scenarios rather than immediate doomsday situations, and caution against the hype surrounding AI.
- The National Council of State Legislatures is working on regulating AI at the state level, with several states already introducing AI bills and forming advisory groups.
- State legislators aim to define responsible AI utilization by governments and protect constituents engaging with AI in the private sector.
- The federal government is establishing National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes to invest in long-term AI research.
- Misinformation and disinformation are concerns related to AI, as certain AI algorithms can generate biased and inaccurate information.
- OpenAI acknowledges the potential for AI tools to contribute to disinformation campaigns and is collaborating with researchers and industry peers to address this issue.
- The NCSL report highlights the need for policymakers to understand the programming decisions behind AI systems and their potential impact on citizens.
- Society lacks the ability and literacy to distinguish truth from false information, leading to the proliferation and belief in generative misinformation.
### 🤖 AI
- The use of artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing across various fields.
- Concerns have been raised about the potential risks and negative impacts of AI.
- Government and industry efforts are underway to manage AI risks and regulate the technology.
- Misinformation, bias, and the lack of societal literacy in understanding AI are additional challenges.
### Summary
Philanthropists, including tech billionaires and established foundations, are increasing their grants to support the development of ethical AI and address the harmful effects of AI. While some believe AI can be used for positive outcomes such as predicting climate disasters and discovering new drugs, others warn of its potential negative impact on professions, misinformation, and national security.
### Facts
- Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, have committed hundreds of millions of dollars to AI grantmaking programs to accelerate scientific revolution and apply AI to various fields.
- The Patrick McGovern Foundation has committed $40 million to help nonprofits use AI and data science to protect the planet, foster economic prosperity, and ensure healthy communities.
- Salesforce will award $2 million to education, workforce, and climate organizations to promote the equitable and ethical use of trusted AI.
- LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman has funded research centers to utilize AI for transformation in areas like healthcare and education.
- Philanthropic foundations, including the Ford, MacArthur, and Rockefeller foundations, support research on the harmful effects of AI and provide grants to address racial and gender bias.
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk has warned about the potential destructive impact of AI and donated $10 million to the Future of Life Institute to prevent existential risks.
### 🌍 : Some experts are optimistic about the positive impact of AI and support projects focused on its advancements and benefits.
### ⚠️ : There are concerns about AI's potential negative consequences, including impacts on professions, misinformation, and national security.
### Summary
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is allocating $130 million to purchase computer chips to power artificial intelligence and build an "AI Research Resource" in the United Kingdom.
### Facts
- 🧪 The United Kingdom plans to establish an "AI Research Resource" by mid-2024 to become an AI tech hub.
- 💻 The government is sourcing chips from NVIDIA, Intel, and AMD and has ordered 5,000 NVIDIA graphic processing units (GPUs).
- 💰 The allocated $130 million may not be sufficient to match the ambition of the AI hub, leading to a potential request for more funding.
- 🌍 A recent report highlighted that many companies face challenges deploying AI due to limited resources and technical obstacles.
- 👥 In a survey conducted by S&P Global, firms reported insufficient computing power as a major obstacle to supporting AI projects.
- 🤖 The ability to support AI workloads will play a crucial role in determining who leads in the AI space.
President Joe Biden relies on his science adviser Arati Prabhakar to guide the US approach to safeguarding AI technology, with cooperation from tech giants like Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta. Prabhakar discusses the need for understanding the implications and consequences of AI, the challenge of making AI models explainable, concerns about biases and privacy, and the importance of voluntary commitments from tech companies along with government actions.
The German government is increasing its funding for artificial intelligence research, pledging nearly €1bn to support the development of AI systems, with a goal of securing technological sovereignty and positioning Germany and Europe as leaders in the AI field.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is seen as a positive development in terms of addressing environmental challenges, but there are concerns about AI's own carbon footprint due to energy-intensive processes such as data training and computer hardware production.
The UK government has been urged to introduce new legislation to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) in order to keep up with the European Union (EU) and the United States, as the EU advances with the AI Act and US policymakers publish frameworks for AI regulations. The government's current regulatory approach risks lagging behind the fast pace of AI development, according to a report by the science, innovation, and technology committee. The report highlights 12 governance challenges, including bias in AI systems and the production of deepfake material, that need to be addressed in order to guide the upcoming global AI safety summit at Bletchley Park.
The U.K. has outlined its priorities for the upcoming global AI summit, with a focus on risk and policy to regulate the technology and ensure its safe development for the public good.
A survey of 213 computer science professors suggests that a new federal agency should be created in the United States to govern artificial intelligence (AI), while the majority of respondents believe that AI will be capable of performing less than 20% of tasks currently done by humans.
A survey of 600 Floridians revealed that while many perceive advances in AI to be promising, there are significant concerns about its economic impact and implications for human security, with 75% expressing worry that AI could pose a risk to human safety and 54% fearing it could threaten their employment in the future.
Lawmakers in the Senate Energy Committee were warned about the threats and opportunities associated with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the U.S. energy sector, with a particular emphasis on the risk posed by China's AI advancements and the need for education and regulation to mitigate negative impacts.
The G20 member nations have pledged to use artificial intelligence (AI) in a responsible manner, addressing concerns such as data protection, biases, human oversight, and ethics, while also planning for the future of cryptocurrencies and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).
Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Inflection.ai and co-founder of DeepMind, believes that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to make us all smarter and more productive, rather than making us collectively dumber, and emphasizes the need to maximize the benefits of AI while minimizing its harms. He also discusses the importance of containing AI and the role of governments and commercial pressures in shaping its development. Suleyman views AI as a set of tools that should remain accountable to humans and be used to serve humanity.
AI has the potential to fundamentally change governments and society, with AI-powered companies and individuals usurping traditional institutions and creating a new world order, warns economist Samuel Hammond. Traditional governments may struggle to regulate AI and keep pace with its advancements, potentially leading to a loss of global power for these governments.
China's targeted and iterative approach to regulating artificial intelligence (AI) could provide valuable lessons for the United States, despite ideological differences, as the U.S. Congress grapples with comprehensive AI legislation covering various issues like national security, job impact, and democratic values. Learning from China's regulatory structure and process can help U.S. policymakers respond more effectively to the challenges posed by AI.
Eight new technology companies, including Adobe, IBM, Nvidia, Palantir, and Salesforce, have made voluntary commitments on artificial intelligence (AI) to drive safe and secure development while working towards comprehensive regulation, according to a senior Biden administration official. The commitments include outside testing of AI systems, cybersecurity measures, information sharing, research on societal risks, and addressing society's challenges. The White House is partnering with the private sector to harness the benefits of AI while managing the risks.
The United Nations is urging the international community to confront the potential risks and benefits of Artificial Intelligence, which has the power to transform the world.
President Biden has called for the governance of artificial intelligence to ensure it is used as a tool of opportunity and not as a weapon of oppression, emphasizing the need for international collaboration and regulation in this area.
New developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have the potential to revolutionize our lives and help us achieve the SDGs, but it is important to engage in discourse about the risks and create safeguards to ensure a safe and prosperous future for all.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden will warn the UN that artificial intelligence (AI) poses a threat to world order unless governments take action, with fears that the rapid pace of AI development could lead to job losses, misinformation, and discrimination without proper regulations in place. Dowden will call for global regulation and emphasize the importance of making rules in parallel with AI development rather than retroactively. Despite the need for regulation, experts note the complexity of reaching a quick international agreement, with meaningful input needed from smaller countries, marginalized communities, and ethnic minorities. The UK aims to take the lead in AI regulation, but there are concerns that without swift action, the European Union's AI Act could become the global standard instead.
There is a need for more policy balance in discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) to focus on the potential for good and how to ensure societal benefit, as AI has the potential to advance education, national security, and economic success, while also providing new economic opportunities and augmenting human capabilities.
The United Nations aims to bring inclusiveness, legitimacy, and authority to the regulation of artificial intelligence, leveraging its experience with managing the impact of various technologies and creating compliance pressure for commitments made by governments, according to Amandeep Gill, the organization's top tech-policy official. Despite the challenges of building consensus and engaging stakeholders, the U.N. seeks to promote diverse and inclusive innovation to ensure equal opportunities and prevent concentration of economic power. Gill also emphasizes the potential of AI in accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals but expresses concerns about potential misuse and concentration of power.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will have a significant impact on geopolitics and globalization, driving a new globalization but also posing risks that the world is not yet ready for, according to political scientist Ian Bremmer. Global leaders and policymakers are now catching up and discussing the implications of AI, but a greater understanding of the technology is needed for effective regulation. Bremmer suggests international cooperation, such as a United Nations-driven process, to establish global oversight and prevent the U.S. versus China competition in AI development.
AI has the potential to augment human work and create shared prosperity, but without proper implementation and worker power, it can lead to job replacement, economic inequality, and concentrated political power.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai believes that the next 25 years are crucial for the company, as artificial intelligence (AI) offers the opportunity to make a significant impact on a larger scale by developing services that improve people's lives. AI has already been used in various ways, such as flood forecasting, protein structure predictions, and reducing contrails from planes to fight climate change. Pichai emphasizes the importance of making AI more helpful and deploying it responsibly to fulfill Google's mission. The evolution of Google Search and the company's commitment to responsible technology are also highlighted.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an undeniable force in our lives, with wide-ranging implications and ethical considerations, posing both benefits and potential harms, and raising questions about regulation and the future of humanity's relationship with AI.
The responsibility of determining how generative AI innovations will be implemented across the economy lies with all individuals, from AI experts to finance professionals, who should have a baseline understanding of responsible AI and contribute to the decision-making process, according to experts. The National Institute for Standards and Technology has released an AI risk management framework to guide organizations in reducing discrimination, increasing transparency, and ensuring trustworthiness in AI systems. CEOs and executive committees must take responsibility for assessing the use of AI within their organizations, and strong governance is essential for successful implementation. Additionally, concerns about the impact of AI on the workforce can be addressed through training programs that focus on responsible AI practices.
Machine learning has the potential to aid climate action by providing insights and optimizing sustainability efforts, but researchers must address challenges related to data, computing resources, and the environmental impact of AI.
China's use of artificial intelligence (AI) for surveillance and oppression should deter the United States from collaborating with China on AI development and instead focus on asserting itself in international standards-setting bodies, open sourcing AI technologies, and promoting explainable AI to ensure transparency and uphold democratic values.
Tech billionaire Bryan Johnson believes that artificial intelligence (AI) is crucial for humanity's survival, as he spends millions annually on health monitoring and experiments to reverse the aging process.
The AI 100 2023 is a list of the top people in artificial intelligence who are pushing the boundaries of the field, ensuring responsible development, and addressing negative consequences.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will surpass human intelligence and could manipulate people, according to AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, who quit his role at Google to raise awareness about the risks of AI and advocate for regulations. Hinton also expressed concerns about AI's impact on the labor market and its potential militaristic uses, and called for governments to commit to not building battlefield robots. Global efforts are underway to regulate AI, with the U.K. hosting a global AI summit and the U.S. crafting an AI Bill of Rights.
Artificial intelligence (AI) could consume as much energy as Sweden and undermine efforts to reduce carbon emissions, warns a study published in the journal Joule, highlighting the need for more sustainable AI practices.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is working to establish San Jose as a major hub for artificial intelligence, with plans to attract AI firms, incubators, and initiatives through incentives and partnerships with San Jose State University. The goal is to create an AI Center of Excellence and address practical applications of AI, such as combating potholes and water leaks.
AI technology has advanced rapidly, bringing both positive and negative consequences such as improved accuracy and potential risks to the economy, national security, and various industries, requiring government regulation and ethical considerations to prevent misuse and protect human values.
Governments can steer the evolution of AI towards more equitable outcomes by investing in AI infrastructure and promoting responsible AI education, thereby ensuring the distribution of technological benefits and driving societal progress.
Singapore and the US have collaborated to harmonize their artificial intelligence (AI) frameworks in order to promote safe and responsible AI innovation while reducing compliance costs. They have published a crosswalk to align Singapore's AI Verify with the US NIST's AI RMF and are planning to establish a bilateral AI governance group to exchange information and advance shared principles. The collaboration also includes research on AI safety and security and workforce development initiatives.
New York City has unveiled an AI action plan aimed at understanding and responsibly implementing the technology, with steps including the establishment of an AI Steering Committee and engagement with outside experts and the public.
