UK Adviser Calls for Regulation as AI Could Threaten Humanity in 2 Years

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to make breakthroughs in what is possible, there is growing concern about whether these innovations may become more powerful than their creators.

Matt Clifford, head of the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), emphasized this recently interview with a local news outlet.

Artificial intelligence needs to be regulated within two years

Clifford stressed that AI needs to be regulated soon to reduce the risk of it becoming “too powerful” within the next couple of years, as humans don’t currently have control.

“We have two years to put in place a framework that makes controlling and regulating these very large models much more possible than it is today,” he said.

Commenting on the short-term and long-term risks that can arise from the use of AI tools, Clifford said that people could use information generated by AI to create biological weapons or launch cyberattacks.

Clifford isn’t the only technologist concerned about the risks associated with the growth of artificial intelligence. In an open letter from the Center for Artificial Intelligence Security, 350 AI experts endorse the idea of ​​treating AI as an existential threat, just as nuclear weapons and pandemics threaten human existence.

Can artificial intelligence pose more threats to humanity?

Computer scientist and former Google employee Jeffrey Hinton also entertains the idea of ​​artificial intelligence surpassing power from humans. Earlier this month, he mentioned in an interview that humans are building intelligence that can outpace humanity and pose threats to our very existence.

Considered one of the godfathers of artificial intelligence, Hinton highlighted the efficiency and knowledge sharing capabilities of digital intelligence compared to the limitations of biological intelligence. While recognizing that AI brings potential benefits, Hinton stressed the need to mitigate and prevent any negative consequences associated with it.