Top researcher warns Big Tech’s AI race is like playing ‘Russian roulette’ with humanity’s future
The AI boom has sparked a debate about job losses that will be caused by the technology and also its climate impact. But now a leading computer scientist and the President of the International Association for Safe and Ethical AI, Stuart Russel, has warned that the artificial intelligence "arms race" is increasing the risk of "human extinction", and collective action is needed to address the risks. Speaking to AFP at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Russell called for governments to "pull the brakes" on AI development as Big Tech companies are recklessly gambling with the future of humanity. Despite the stern warning, leading economies like the United States and India have opted for deregulation to boost development.
The University of California, Berkeley professor appealed to the world leaders to take collective action to mitigate the threat that increasingly powerful systems pose. Both countries and companies are spending billions on building data centers to train and run AI tools. In the U.S. alone, analysts expect AI capital expenditure to reach $600 billion this year, as per Fortune. While the technology promises advancements in drug discovery, it could also lead to job losses and facilitate surveillance, online abuse, and other issues, according to Russel. Apart from the immediate issues, Russell says there is a greater risk of "AI systems themselves taking control and human civilisation being collateral damage in that process."
Russell has been sounding the alarm over existential risks underlying AI’s rapid deployment, as the British scientist has been studying AI for over 40 years and published one of the most authoritative textbooks on the subject back in 1995. In 2016, he founded a research center at Berkeley focusing on AI safety, advocating for “provably beneficial” AI systems. According to him, the onus to save the human species is upon the world leaders. "For governments to allow private entities to essentially play Russian roulette with every human being on earth is, in my view, a total dereliction of duty," said Russell.
The scientist added that top executives may wish to slow the race, but they cannot do so alone. “Each of the CEOs of the main AI companies, I believe, wants to disarm but cannot do so 'unilaterally' as they would be fired by investors," Russell claimed. “Some of them have said it in public, and some of them told it to me privately,” he added, referring to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who has said on record that AI could lead to human extinction.
His concerns are valid as only China and the EU have taken regulatory actions on the development of AI, while the U.S., under President Donald Trump's administration, has pushed for pro-market ideals and sought to scrap most state-level regulations. Meanwhile, Indian IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated in the summit that the country expects over $200 billion in AI investments over the next two years. But, Russell warned that India could lose more and gain less in the race as AI assistant tools could lead to mass layoffs in India's large customer service and tech support sectors. "We are creating human imitators. And so, of course, the natural application for that type of system is replacing humans," Russell warned.
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