Humans "close to being outsmarted" by superintelligence, AI expert says
Rapid developments in AI are prompting concerns about "superintelligence." Here's why some experts are worried.
A former researcher at AI firm Anthropic has warned that artificial intelligence could surpass human intelligence and pose a threat to humanity. In a social media post announcing his resignation, Jacob Coxon accused Anthropic and OpenAI of gambling with lives by pursuing superintelligence. Evan Hubinger, a lead researcher at Anthropic, stated on X that there is more than a 10% chance AI could kill all humans within the next decade.
Superintelligence refers to AI that significantly outperforms humans in all cognitive tasks, according to a petition by the Future of Life Institute, which has garnered signatures from renowned AI experts. While superintelligence isn't new, it remains hypothetical, and AI agents today demonstrate autonomous and collaborative capabilities.
The fundamental risk is that superintelligent AI could become increasingly difficult to control, potentially leading to a new artificial species of superintelligences obedient to a few people's commands. The AI Futures Project estimates that superintelligent technology could emerge within the next 1 to 10 years, but opinions on the timeline vary.
Some experts argue that AI development should be adequately planned, while others believe it will take decades before AI matches human-level skills.
Written by urgent.news from CBS News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
