Stuart Russell is an award-winning researcher in Artificial Intelligence , a professor of Computer Science at the University of California , and the author of “ A Modern Approach ,” a leading textbook in the field of Artificial Intelligence. In other words, one could say that he knows a thing or two about Artificial Intelligence.
In a recent interview with Science, Professor Russell joins the ranks of experts and technologists who warn of the potential dangers of AI, comparing them to the dangers of nuclear technology!
It specifically states that the main risk lies in:
“…direct or indirect misplacement of values – AI cannot account for all the elements that humans care about.”
Super-intelligent AI is likely decades away (if it ever arrives), but Russell and other experts in the field want to lay the groundwork for it to be on the right track, now that it’s still early days, to prevent its misuse. Professor Russell is one of hundreds of experts who signed an open letter in January calling for research to focus on “maximising the societal benefits of AI” rather than simply continuing in any direction.
The signatories of the letter are not the only ones talking about how uncontrolled AI can become and where its misuse can lead us.
SpaceX and Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk has likened the research to " summoning the demon " and is funding a number of projects of the kind that Professor Russell would like to see.
Bill Gates is equally concerned and expresses his concerns by saying “I don’t understand why people don’t care!” So is Professor Stephen Hawking , who has gone even further by warning that “ the development of A.I. could mean the end of the human race ,” a prediction that other Oxford professors seem to share .
Like Musk and others, Professor Russell wants to see human values and goals at the center of AI development. Students, he urges, should be educated with the same beliefs that researchers believe will prevent a “nuclear explosion.” It’s a stance that will be needed much sooner than we think, because while AI that surpasses human intelligence is currently elusive, there are other dangers ahead.
In April, Professor Russell spoke at the United Nations in Geneva during a meeting on the future ofLethal Autonomous Weapon Systems ( LAWS).
LAWS robots that can destroy targets without human supervision. The technology that allows them to do this is Artificial Intelligence.
The UN has begun a process that could lead to the banning of LAWS from legislation. In contrast to these efforts to prevent super-intelligent robots from dominating the world, there is not much time left.
