Former DeepMind researcher adds to warnings that AI threat may be growing

A former Google DeepMind researcher has cautioned that artificial intelligence (AI) could "kill us all" if development continues at its current rapid pace. Bilal Chughtai, who worked on artificial general intelligence (AGI) safety and alignment research at the company, expressed his concerns on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. His warning comes as AI researchers and world leaders grow increasingly worried about the potential consequences of quickly advancing AI systems.

Chughtai noted that AI has made significant strides since he began his work in the field in early 2022, describing the pace of development as "staggering". He warned that AI companies may succeed in creating superintelligent systems that surpass human capabilities across all domains within the next few years. However, he emphasized that safely navigating AI development is possible, but it would demand greater collaboration among companies creating increasingly advanced systems.

One of the primary challenges in AI development, according to Chughtai, is ensuring that AI systems behave as intended, a concept known as AI alignment. He pointed out that our current understanding of how to train AI systems to reliably pursue human goals is still limited, while frontier AI capabilities are improving faster than researchers' grasp of alignment.

Chughtai also called for coordination among AI companies to prevent a "manic race" in AI development. This call for caution echoes warnings from researchers at other major AI companies, such as Anthropic. A recent statement from Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger suggested a greater than 10% chance that AI could wipe out all humans within the next decade.

These comments have contributed to an increasingly public debate surrounding the pace of AI development, with some, like Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, calling for a slowdown in the advancement of powerful AI systems. The debate has received support from other industry leaders, including SpaceX and xAI founder Elon Musk, as well as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

While concerns about AI's potential to pose an existential threat remain a subject of debate, AI is already reshaping various industries, including Nigeria. According to Nairametrics, Nigerian startup founders and operators reported that AI is changing the type of workers companies seek, with businesses increasingly looking for professionals who can combine industry expertise with AI tools.

In June, business leaders across different sectors spoke to Nairametrics about how AI is improving productivity while reducing reliance on traditional administrative, research, and clerical functions.