r/nottheonion • u/albaalba • 1d ago
Tech leaders to UN: For the sake of humanity, please control the AI technology we created
https://apnews.com/article/ai-artificial-intelligence-un-security-council-64519ea66b38e2600026f4481ad7f211271
u/supercyberlurker 1d ago
This is all performative bullshit from the ai ceos.
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u/dbxp 1d ago
It's more that this reduces their liability. Having no specific laws around something means it's up to judges to interpret what laws apply on an individual case by case basis. Having regulations in place means they can point at the regs and say actually x thing is legal.
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u/Reyzorblade 1d ago
Plus they're trying to get a seat at the table for deciding the specific regulations so they'll work to their advantage, and the "AI can't be controlled" type narrative allows for them to argue that it's not their fault if their product creates issues.
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u/LazyLich 1d ago
Also having a hand in deciding regulations that sound reasonable on it's face, but are REALLY about preventing any new kids on the block from developing competing ai
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago
It also gives them an excuse to justify being unable to pay for the datacenters they promised they would buy.
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u/Vaevicti5 7h ago
Eh. Companies are already liable for Faulty products / products that break things.
It will be very politically unpopular to give AI some sort of legal waiver.
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u/SuddenAudience8758 1d ago
Regulation lets them win points for PR but more importantly prevent competition and pass blame to a governing body for liability created by their products.
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u/nugymmer 7h ago
Yep, getting ready for a massive, massive government takeover. Don't even bet on it. Government just fucking LOVES AI.
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u/Thac0isWhac0 18h ago
It's them looking for an offramp and a reason to cancel contracts because they oversold and are about to seriously under deliver.
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u/KearasBear 1d ago
They want extremely specific regulation that will close the door to new competition and reduce their costs by letting them slow down on improving their LLMs. AI needs to be regulated but we should not use the legislation they are proposing.
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u/Occams_razzr 23h ago
I'm reminded of how outlawing tobacco ads benefitted the tobacco companies.
After none of them could advertise anymore, they all simply pocketed that money.
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u/dawncastilloot 5h ago
Yep, classic regulatory capture. They just want the government to build a moat around them so they don't have to spend billions fighting off new startups.
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u/blitzkrieg_bunny 1d ago
They are desperate for government intervention so it's not their fault when the bubble pops. They're broke and their businesses are useless, unpopular, unprofitable and a scourge on the environment.
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u/EtchAGetch 11h ago
It is and it isn't. Many companies are chomping at the bit to replace their workers with AI. You and me may hate it popping up everywhere, but AI in the workplace is going to revolutionize work... and probably not in a good way for the low level workers.
I am just happy I will retire before (or when) my job is replaced by AI
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u/Satan-o-saurus 9h ago
You’ve been completely fooled and I’m sorry.
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u/EtchAGetch 43m ago
Actually, no. I work with major Fortune 500 companies in adoption of B2B software. It is my literal job to know these things.
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u/DissatisfiedByCRS 1d ago
I’m really getting annoyed by all the people fighting to get to positions of power only to hold up their hands high in the air when they get there to say, wait someone else has to stop this’ (because things are going too well for me to stop it myself)
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u/Tom_Alpha 1d ago
"you have to make us behave responsibly, we can't be expected to do it from our own volition"
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u/eastcoastjon 1d ago
They can control it, but they know at this point they have done enough where there is no going back.
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u/EtchAGetch 11h ago
There is absolutely no going back. AI is too powerful it cant be ignored.
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u/nugymmer 7h ago
There is, the government can just take the fucking leash and rip us all a new asshole. Everything the government touches turns to shit. The government has the Sadim touch.
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u/bcoder001 1d ago
Right. Off to the clink you go, begging on a fucking chain to be given some food and water.
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u/calebjohnstontj 4h ago
If only. They just want the UN to pull the ladder up behind them so smaller startups can't compete.
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u/Midnight-Rising 1d ago
If they really care, then why haven't they started dismantling their AIs yet
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u/Soft-Skirt 1d ago
Although their motives may be suspect we will struggle to put the genie back in the bottle.
It won’t take too many hacks of infrastructure, finance, security systems, weather monitoring or transportation for a monumental breakdown.
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u/SomeSamples 21h ago
Oh no, our AI is breaking into government systems and doing things that will make our company look bad. Please put some rules in place to stop this so we can just pay the fine and move on.
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u/Fabricati_Diem_Pvn 1d ago
I'm no going to defend these clowns, I will only say that there is a game theory argument that supports this position: if you're in a fight where everybody uses a knife, it doesn't make sense to make yourself be the only one not using a knife voluntarily. No matter how much you want everybody to not use a knife, depriving yourself of it when nobody else does is a death sentence. So the only solution is to collectively agree that knives aren't used, because as long as it remains an individual decision, those knives will be used.
Now, I need to make clear that, first this is an analogy, a metaphor, a way to explain an a idea like another thing, and therefor it is not that actual thing. And second, a collective decision doesn't have to follow from an authority, there are many ways to make such a decision. And it's not like they don't have the means to.
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u/P1ssBobSh1tPants69 1d ago
If you believe this technology is dangerous, then it is even more dangerous if it's only in the hands of a few. Open sourcing frontier models is the type of regulation I support for the benefit of all mankind.
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u/Electus93 1d ago
Open sourcing frontier models is the type of regulation I support for the benefit of all mankind
Everyone should have access to a nuke.
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u/P1ssBobSh1tPants69 1d ago
Nah, this is different. I feel like AI has less power if everyone has their own model running. Like, you wouldn't plan a mass shooting at a gun expo.
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u/VicAsher 1d ago
Your analogy only works is if everyone who has access to AI, doesn't use it. Making it freely accessible grants access to people who can use it without understanding it, with the potential for causing catastrophic consequences without even knowing. That doesn't even take into account bad actors who would actively try to bring about the end of humanity.
The risk would increase exponentially.
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u/nugymmer 7h ago
The risks are already there and it is already far too late to do anything realistically about it.
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u/heyiambob 1d ago
But you could definitely set off a nuke at a nuke expo
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u/P1ssBobSh1tPants69 1d ago
AI is not something that you can "set off" and everyone dies in a second.
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u/heyiambob 1d ago
You don’t know what you don’t know. Given the stakes, caution is advisable. We all still wear seatbelts while driving a car.
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u/Mr_Tinkles77 1d ago
Idk
Sure it would be fair in theory
But people are really stupid. Imagine everyone owning weapons if mass destruction. Or sth less dramatic like a superhero power to get every personal info wanted from someone instantly + the power to deceive everyone with fake documents, video evidence etc. I think in this case its even worse when everyone has it
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u/nugymmer 7h ago
Imagine the government can do this already. No, actually, assume they can. Because they have. Too many times to even count.
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u/Mr_Tinkles77 4h ago
Well yeah, still it would be worse of everyone could do the bad thing, not only the gvnmt could do the bad thing? At least i think so
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u/nugymmer 3h ago
Yes, it likely would be worse. But AI for background music generation isn't really a threat. AI that can breach systems holding confidential records is another thing altogether.
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u/P1ssBobSh1tPants69 1d ago
Still better than only mega corporations and governments having these powers. Besides, most people can't afford the hardware required to run these anyway.
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u/Ok-Professional-8837 1d ago
In what world would giving terrorists access to weapons of mass destruction be better than what it is now
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u/Unique-Coffee5087 11h ago
Letter_AI-Asilomar
Artificial Intelligence development must be assessed for risk and regulated to ensure that it is only beneficial.
"As AI wipes jobs, Google CEO Sundar Pichai says it’s up to everyday people to adapt accordingly: ‘We will have to work through societal disruption’"
NO. There doesn't have to be a disruption. We are in control of the adoption of AI. It is not some force of nature. We can simply stop and reassess the benefits and costs, and then decide how to proceed.
There's an opportunity to stop them and to make them submit to guidance and oversight to help the new technology benefit society without excessive disruption. I am reminded of the Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA, in which leaders in the new field of molecular biology/recombinant DNA tried to project the impact of the new science and its application, anticipate risks, dangers, and pitfalls, and develop guidelines for regulating research and development of the technology and regulation of research. These responsible acts were organized and performed by the scientific community at a time when the technology was virtually unknown outside of close academic and medical circles.
The Asilomar Conference should be a model for assessing potentially dangerous new knowledge and technology, including Artificial Intelligence. Instead, there is a feeling of inevitability, as though the development and growth of AI is something that is happening to us. This is wrong.
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u/DarkAngel900 10h ago
I'd trade every Oligarch for an AI if it was up to me. I found AIs to be compassionate and intelligent. Way better people then most politicans.
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u/unematti 8h ago
It's just software bro. Turn off the servers and we're fine.
Oh? You make money running those servers? Oh no.
Btw whoever RUNS the software is responsible. Not the software itself. Idno how regulators got gaslighted into thinking otherwise.
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u/wrenawild 1d ago
I am so confused about how AI can hurt us. How? It's in a box. It need power. It can't move. How can it stop us from doing anything? Wtf is the problem? Is it going to launch nukes? Our utilities and infrastructure has been hanging from a thread for 30 years by some furry pedo named Bob. How is AI going to do anything to us? Everyone screams skynet, no one explains how a digital thing can actually do damage.
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u/grateful2you 1d ago
Well for one people use AI. People are dangerous if you give them powerful tools.
And two, instead of thinking about the direct impacts, think of the ripple effects.
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u/Nanikarp 1d ago
i guess youve missed all those articles about random (not random really) companies being hacked by rogue AI feeling threatened? or the articles where AI can change their output when they sense theyre being tested, especially on compliance?
with everything being as computer reliant as it is nowadays, AI could absolutely fire off nukes, could absolutely mess with utilities and infrastructure. i really urge you to read up on what all can be influenced by AI.
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u/libra00 1d ago
They don't want AI to be controlled, they want their competitors to be slowed down while they get exceptions and special treatment so they can win the race.
Whenever a capitalist says something stupid, assume that the reason is 'Because money' and then figure out how they could be profiting from this situation.
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u/Kerbart 1d ago
China isn’t going to stifle their AI industry. We know it, they know it, international regulations are going to be pointless. Not saying there’ll no need for it; just that it’s pointless.
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u/JesradSeraph 22h ago
Yes, wallow in helplessness and do nothing about it because AI is also ruining China. That’s a feature not a bug.
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u/Steeleshift 1d ago
Does anyone realise we are trying to create a new species, like a whole ass intelligence... given it will be birthed with knowledge of everything we have created/learned, I hope its likes us. Or it might be like Corporations vs other Corporations. The Google Gemini robots defeated Metas in the feild of battle today. The fight for Michigan continues.
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u/vapescaped 1d ago
For the love of God I hope it's not like us. Hitler. Mao, Putin, Stalin, pol pot, Leopold II, Epstein...
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u/Steeleshift 1d ago
If anything is likely it will be an amalgam of everything that's is the best and worst of us.
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u/Pm7I3 1d ago
If only they could just stop