TL:DR
- A letter signed by prominent figures in the AI industry calls for an immediate pause in training AI systems more powerful than GPT-4.
- The letter cites 18 supporting documents, and asks whether it is ethical to automate away all jobs and risk losing control of our civilization.
- The main ask of the letter is for AI labs to pause training of systems more powerful than GPT-4 for at least six months, and for the most advanced efforts to limit the rate of growth of compute used for creating new models.
- The letter is supported by well-known figures in the industry such as Stuart Russell, Joshua Bengio, and Sam Altman.
- The letter also references research on AI alignment and potential existential risks associated with advanced AI systems.
Summary
A letter has been published calling for an immediate pause in training artificial intelligence (AI) systems that are more powerful than GPT-4, stating that AI labs are locked in an out-of-control race to develop ever more powerful digital minds that no one, not even their creators, can understand, predict or reliably control. The letter quotes 18 supporting documents, and prominent people in the AI field have signed it. The letter calls on all AI labs to immediately pause for at least six months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4. The research cited in the letter outlines the risks that threaten humanity, and some researchers have expressed concern about the weaponization of AI.