AI Pioneers Call for Urgent Action on Ethical AI Development

24 leading experts in the Artificial Intelligence field are calling on tech companies and governments to address the need for greater accountability and better risk management in the development and deployment of AI.  

The influential list of AI experts includes Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton, who are known in the field as two of the “godfathers” of AI technology. The group of academics and AI experts have joined together to co-author a potential framework on dealing with the looming threats posed by powerful and rapidly developing AI systems

There are many societal harms that could arise from carelessly developed AI systems, including amplifying social injustice, job losses, and enabling criminal activities. According to a report published by The Guardian, the AI experts are calling for a range of policies including allocating one-third of AI R&D resources to safety and ethical use, establishing a licensing system for cutting-edge AI models, and making tech companies liable for foreseeable and preventable harms. These are just some of the measures deemed by the experts as important to ensure that the development of AI does not outpace the human ability to manage its risks — particularly as AI systems gain more autonomy and capabilities

As generative AI technologies and in-house AI tooling becomes more integrated by organizations and businesses in the global workforce, policy makers and industry titans are expected to adopt cautious and responsible approaches to the future development of AI.  

Business leaders and governments will likely need to invest in safety measures, ethical considerations, and risk management in the future — potentially leading to new job opportunities and roles focused on these areas. The emphasis on accountability and transparency may also promote a more trustful relationship between AI systems and the workforce, ensuring that AI is used to augment and enhance human capabilities rather than replace them.

The adoption of AI tooling and software will grow in the coming months and years, as the capabilities of AI systems advance and their integration across the workforce becomes more prevalent. The expert call for accountability and risk management in AI development is an important step towards ensuring a safe and ethical future for AI usage. However, it will ultimately be up to industry leaders and governments to take major proactive measures to mitigate the future risks associated with AI. By doing so, leaders can help promote a workforce that is better equipped to handle the challenges and opportunities presented by this transformative technology.