The Growing Push to Ban Superintelligent AI
Bills in the U.S. and U.K. seek to ban superintelligent AI, as fears grow about increasingly powerful systems escaping human control.
Professor Stuart Russell spoke to members of the UK Parliament about the dangers of superintelligent AI on September 7 in Westminster. The debate over AI has intensified following a series of high-profile cyberattacks, prompting lawmakers to consider new regulations. Senator Bernie Sanders plans to introduce the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, which would prohibit the creation of AI smarter than humans and temporarily halt all other AI development until new safety measures can be put in place.
British lawmaker Alex Sobel introduced the first bill aimed at banning superintelligence in any G7 nation. The bills also call for the government to seek a global treaty to prevent superintelligence development anywhere in the world. Andrea Miotti, founder of ControlAI, a campaign group behind the UK bill, says a national ban is insufficient because the problem is international.
Stuart Russell, a UC Berkeley computer science professor, warned of a possible "Chernobyl-sized catastrophe" from AI, ranging from sabotage of critical infrastructure to irreversible loss of human control. Other bills in both the US and UK focus on AI risks through different measures, such as requiring AI systems to have a "kill switch."
While these bills are unlikely to pass, they represent a growing awareness of the potential national security threats posed by superintelligent AI.
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