A top safety researcher at AI firm Anthropic has warned there is a greater than 10% chance artificial intelligence “could kill all humans” within the next decade.
Evan Hubinger said the risk posed by current models was “low”, but warned rapidly advancing systems could soon become capable of improving themselves and pose an existential threat.
His intervention came as fellow AI researcher Jacob Coxon quit Anthropic, having previously worked at OpenAI, warning: “Neither company is acting responsibly.”
“These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionise any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources.”
Hubinger said: “I believe Anthropic is trying its best, but we do not yet have a plan to solve alignment for superintelligence and are not clearly on track to.”
The warnings have prompted former Treasury chief secretary Darren Jones to call on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to pursue a multinational treaty governing the development of advanced AI.
He said governments needed to “collaborate” on the development of superintelligence, adding: “Unless governments take these warnings seriously enough and step up to it, the pace of development could mean that we end up with problems before we've started to look at whether it is an issue for us or not.”
FSTE100
The UK's flagship share index, the FTSE 100, was up 10 points at 10,680 shortly after opening this morning.
Brent crude oil futures were down 0.30%, sitting at $100.91 barrel this morning.
Companies reporting
- Associated British Foods - Q4 Trading Statement
- Currys - Trading Statement
- Genus - Full Year Results
- International Public Partnerships - Half Year Results
- Oakley Capital Investments - Half Year Results
- Playtech - Half Year Results
- TSMC - Monthly Sales Release