Feature
The Gist
- CEO concern. 42% fear AI's existential threat in 5-10 years.
- OpenAI updates. Improved features and lower prices for AI models.
- EU regulations. A.I. Act approved by European Union.
A significant proportion of prominent business leaders have grave concerns about the potential dangers artificial intelligence (AI) could pose to humanity in the near future. Survey results from the Yale CEO Summit reveal that 42% of the participating CEOs believe AI harbors the capacity to pose an existential threat to humanity within the next five to 10 years, according to a report from CNN.
“It’s pretty dark and alarming,” Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld told CNN.
With responses from 119 CEOs across various industries including Walmart CEO Doug McMillion and Coca-Cola CEO James Quincy, reportedly 34% of CEOs said AI could potentially destroy humanity in 10 years — while 8% said give it five years. On the opposite side of the aisle, 58% believe the AI takeover is hooey and are “not worried.”
This news follows a one-sentence letter from the Center for AI Safety signed by more than 350 of AI’s leading executives and researchers who said that “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.” It also comes on the heels of renowned innovator, creator and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen's statement that “AI will not destroy the world, and in fact may save it.”
Guess we’ll just have to wait and see who’s right.
In other AI news...
OpenAI Unleashes AI Upgrades
OpenAI unveiled a host of updates on Tuesday, boasting features such as function calling abilities, more controllable API models, extended context and even reduced pricing. The new versions of GPT-3.5-turbo and GPT-4 that were released earlier this year have received some new revisions that include a new function calling capability in the Chat Completions API, allowing users to create chatbots that answer questions by calling external tools, like ChatGPT Plugins.
Also announced, an even newer version of GPT-4 and GPT-3.5-turbo has been created that’s easier to control and can deal with longer pieces of text (16k instead of the usual 4k). Further, the price of embeddings model is now 75% cheaper, and using GPT-3.5-turbo will cost 25% less.
Related Article: From Apocalypse to Eden: Marc Andreessen's AI Utopia
AI Drama Alert: OpenAI-Microsoft Partnership Navigates Bumpy Binary Roads
Is there trouble in AI paradise? The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) recently reported that the partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI's, one of the tech industry's most notable collaborations, has generated both conflict and confusion behind the scenes. After Microsoft invested billions in OpenAI, it began a relationship of both cooperation and competition, with OpenAI providing technology to some of Microsoft's biggest rivals and Microsoft effectively limiting the potential search engine customers for OpenAI.
However, according to the WSJ, the partnership has also raised concerns within Microsoft about reduced spending on in-house AI development and limited access to OpenAI's technology for most Microsoft employees. Apparently, there was also disagreement over the timing of the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT and Microsoft's AI-infused Bing. Some Microsoft employees were allegedly worried that the launch of ChatGPT would overshadow the new Bing, while OpenAI advised Microsoft to slow down the integration of its AI technology with Bing, warning about potential issues with inaccurate or bizarre responses. Despite these warnings, Microsoft proceeded with the Bing chatbot release.
It’s something to keep an eye on.
The Long and Winding AI Road Brings New Beatles Song to Life
In an intersection of AI and rock-n-roll, Sir Paul McCartney has revealed that he's used artificial intelligence to bring a final Beatles song to life. The technology was used to isolate John Lennon's voice from an old demo, enabling McCartney to complete the once-abandoned tune. This AI-aided number, likely a 1978 Lennon composition called "Now And Then," is set to be released later this year.
The BBC reported that the song's journey to completion was a tumultuous one, with previous recording attempts being hampered by technical issues and criticisms over the sound quality of Lennon's vocal. However, the advent of AI has allowed these challenges to be overcome, with McCartney describing the technology as both "scary" and "exciting." The once 'lingering' track is now ready for its encore, courtesy of artificial intelligence.
Related Article: Artificial Intelligence Leaders: AI Threatens Human Existence Alongside Pandemics and Nuclear War
EU Takes the AI Bull by the Horns
The European Union (EU) has taken a significant step toward passing one of the first major laws regulating artificial intelligence, potentially setting a precedent for global policymakers. The New York Times has reported that The European Parliament approved a draft law known as the A.I. Act, which aims to curb the riskiest applications of AI, including stringent restrictions on facial recognition software and compelling AI system creators to be more transparent about the data used to develop their programs. However, the law is not expected to be finalized until later in the year.
The EU's move to regulate AI is ahead of other Western governments, having debated the subject for over two years. The release of advanced AI systems like ChatGPT has intensified concerns over the technology's potential societal impacts. The proposed legislation takes a risk-based approach, focusing on applications with the highest potential for harm, such as AI systems operating critical infrastructure or determining access to public services.
However, industry groups have warned against overly broad regulations that could stifle innovation. The use of facial recognition and the scraping of biometric data from social media for databases are also key areas of debate under the proposed law.
Beware: AI Amplifies Grandparent Scams
It’s become a familiar con; as part of the “grandparent scam,” an unsuspecting grandparent receives a call from someone claiming to be their grandchild in trouble, who needs money transferred immediately. Back in the day, these calls were made by scammers with very little acting ability and a voice that sounded nothing like the grandchild in question. But that’s all changed with AI.
As reported on the Today Show (which is becoming a veritable scare factory, churning out AI stories that startle awake its viewers better than any espresso shot could), parents in Oregon were recently warned “about a spate of fake kidnapping calls” using AI to mimic the voice of their child in distress.
In March, the Federal Trade Commission issued a warning that AI was being used to “enhance their family emergency schemes.”
“A scammer could use AI to clone the voice of your loved one,” FTC officials said in a statement. “All he needs is a short audio clip of your family member's voice — which he could get from content posted online — and a voice-cloning program. When the scammer calls you, he’ll sound just like your loved one.”
Which leads us to our video of the week...
AI Video of the Week: New AI Hits Perfect Pitch: Listen to Google's Soundstorm Voice Cloning
When we speak, it’s inflection that gives our voice distinction. Inflection refers to the different modifications that occur in your voice while talking. Beyond just the volume of your speech, it also encompasses the tone, rhythm, frequency and pattern or melody of the words you articulate. How a voice rises and falls — or when someone sighs, giggles or takes a pause — it all contributes to authenticity.
A video posted by The AI Grid, discusses what they refer to as “a stunning new paper, which actually does host some potentially terrifying impacts for society.” The paper is about a new Google AI called “Soundstorm” — and it’s capable of some pretty remarkable voice cloning.
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However, according to The AI Grid, “it wasn't picked up by the wider AI community” since it wasn't an accessible tool, but a display of what's achievable with specific AI software now.
They say this AI tool that can leverage current AI capabilities to create hyper realistic sounding voice overs — take a listen and decide for yourself.
AI Tweet of the Week: AI or Almighty? Harari's Bold Proposal Stirs up a 'Divine' Debate
Prominent author and historian Yuval Harari, known for his bestselling books "Sapiens" and "Homo Deus," made a radical proposal during his speech at the World Economic Forum. Harari suggested that religious scripture should be rewritten by artificial intelligence, in order to create a "New Bible". The intention behind this unprecedented idea is to adapt religious texts to the modern world and its evolving ethical challenges, with the help of AI's vast knowledge and data processing capabilities.
As you can imagine, while the proposal is innovative, it’s also sparking significant controversy, as any attempt to modify these texts could be seen as sacrilege. Moreover, the idea of AI making decisions about spiritual and ethical matters certainly raises complex questions about the role of machines in our society and the nature of faith and morality.
A speaker at the World Economic Forum says that a new bible/holy book for the public could be written by AI. He says AI worship could be a reality in as soon as "a few years." https://t.co/Glh72Z1NNx
— Keean Bexte (@TheRealKeean) June 13, 2023
