TTwo leading artificial intelligence experts — one optimistic and the other more alarmist about the future of the technology — engaged in a heated debate at the TIME100 Summit on Wednesday.
Both Yoshua Bengio, founder and scientific director of the Mila Quebec AI Institute, a scientific center, and Eric Schmidt, president of the Special Project on Competitive Studies and former CEO of Google, agree that AI is poised to transform modern society.
But as moderator Stephanie Ruhle, an MSNBC host, said: “Yoshua believes that the risk of AI potentially putting us into extinction should be considered a global risk, just as we look at pandemics and nuclear war. Eric is super, super excited about AI.”
Bengio’s main concern with AI is the difficulty in ensuring that AI systems are used for their intended purpose and not something harmful. “It is absolutely necessary to clear the fog; Right now, scientists really have no idea” how to make AI behave in accordance with society’s norms, laws, and values.
Schmidt and Bengio also spoke about potential conflicts of interest that for-profit companies may face when tasked with regulating the use of AI. Schmidt said it is industry leaders who are calling for regulation. But Bengio backed down: “It’s complicated because companies are in this race to win; At the same time, the individuals in these companies are human and do not want catastrophes to happen.”
Schmidt says companies have about three to five years before they really need to “get their act together.” That’s where bigger ethical questions will arise, he says.
“That’s really fast,” says Bengio; and he argues that there are not yet enough laws to force companies to protect their AI systems so that data is not stolen by bad actors.
Schmidt is optimistic that Western countries will implement these laws, but is “more concerned about institutions over which we have no control.” Everyone is keeping an eye on big American companies, so there is less danger, he says.
Bengio stresses the need for international coordination because AI breaches in other countries could also harm the US. “It’s starting, but we need to accelerate (the efforts),” he says.
However, the two agreed on something: that a tipping point will come when AI systems begin to operate without human control.
This moment will be “incredibly dangerous,” says Schmidt. “Do you know what we should do? We should turn off the computers. It’s just not okay. There are limits.”
The TIME100 Summit brings together leaders from the global TIME100 community to highlight solutions and encourage action toward a better world. This year’s summit features a variety of speakers from diverse sectors, including politics, business, health and science, culture and more.
2024 TIME 100 Summit speakers include actor Elliot Page, designer Tory Burch, Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad, WNBA champion A’ja Wilson, author Margaret Atwood, NYSE President Lynn Martin, comedian Alex Edelman , Bengio, 68th Secretary of State John Kerry, actress Jane Fonda and many more.
The TIME100 Summit was presented by Booking.com, Citi, Merck, Northern Data Group, Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whiskey and Verizon.
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