Do the Benefits of Artificial Intelligence Outweigh the Risks?

We need to develop AI that aligns with human values, says Frank L. Ruta

By Frank L. Ruta

Towards the end of the second world war, a group of scientists in America working to develop an atomic bomb for the Manhattan Project warned that using the weapon would inevitably lead to a geopolitical landscape characterised by a nuclear arms race. This would force America, they said, to outpace other nations in building up nuclear armaments. They recommended that if the military did choose to use the weapon, an international effort for nuclear non-proliferation should promptly be established.

The committee’s warnings went unheeded. After the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it turned out they had been eerily prescient. The arms race between America and the Soviet Union escalated during the cold war and today rogue states like North Korea threaten peace with their nuclear arsenals.

A potentially even more transformative technology is currently being developed: a technology which could easily be distributed to rogue nations and terrorist groups without the need for expensive, specialised equipment. Prominent scientists and technologists like the late Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have voiced concern for the risks associated with the accelerating development of artificial intelligence (AI).

Many experts in the field, like Stuart Russell, the founder of the Centre for Human-Compatible AI at UC Berkeley, believe that concerns about the misuse of AI should be taken seriously. More than 8,000 researchers, engineers, executives, and investors have signed an open letter recommending a direction for responsible AI research that recognises social impact and seeks to build robust technology that aligns with human values.

To avoid repeating history, policymakers should begin to think about regulating AI development now that the community itself is calling for policy action. As with past technologies, well-structured regulation can mitigate costly externalities, while ill-informed regulatory measures can interfere with progress. Policymakers must cooperate closely with researchers to implement protocols that align AI with human values without being overly…

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