Tech leaders to UN: for the sake of humanity, please control the AI technology we created
The heads of major artificial intelligence firms pleaded with the United Nations on Wednesday to save the world or at least its people – by somehow regulating the fast-expanding technology that they have been designing. “If managed poorly, I even believe AI could be a risk to humanity as a whole,” said Dario Amodei, chief executive officer of Anthropic. And from his competitor Sam Altman, CEO of…
Major artificial intelligence firms' leaders beseeched the United Nations on Wednesday, imploring the global body to regulate the rapidly advancing technology they have developed. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, warned that AI could pose a risk to humanity if not managed properly. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, expressed concern that the world could "lose control of the future to AI."
The leaders called for the creation of safeguards through the UN Security Council to prevent the technology from becoming too powerful and urged the equitable distribution of AI's power. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband emphasized the need for global standards to ensure AI development safety, stating that the UK will lead G20 discussions on this matter.
The United States, however, cautioned against implementing new global governance structures, emphasizing the desire to share in the technology's benefits. The debate over AI control centered on who should wield the power to make life-and-death decisions – humans or machines. Amodei, Altman, and Hugging Face CEO Clement Delangue addressed the UN Security Council to explore the question of control, the verification of capabilities, and common standards for testing and misuse.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot likened AI's current state to the atomic age, urging the international community to regulate AI to harness its potential and avert catastrophe. The meeting came amid tensions between the United States and China, with China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong advocating for open-source models and rejecting the notion of "digital hegemony."
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted the urgent need for human control over AI, fearing that machines may soon make decisions on the battlefield. The UN gathering occurred as Chinese President Xi Jinping embarked on a US state visit, where US AI interests discussed a potential notification mechanism for AI incidents.
However, President Trump vowed to reject efforts to control AI in an effort to maintain its development.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
