Eric Horvitz, Distinguished Scientist at Microsoft Research, past president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), a member of the AAAI strategic planning board, and a spokesperson for the group, which is based in Palo Alto, California, today responded to an Etopia News inquiry about Elon Musk’s recently-expressed concerns about artificial intelligence.
Musk, a serial entrepreneur known
for his work with PayPal, SolarCity, SpaceX, and Tesla, commented on CNBC’s “Closing
Bell” on June 17th that he was investing in AI firm Vicarious so he
could keep an eye on the field, saying “there is potentially a dangerous
outcome there."
He compared the coming of AI to the
arrival of the Spanish Inquisition, which nobody expects.
You can watch his comments, here:
Etopia News sent this link to
the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, seeking
comment.
Here’s what AAAI spokesperson and
past president Eric Horvitz said in reply:
“I’m optimistic that AI advances
will enhance the quality of our lives in numerous ways. However, we need to
continue to study trends and developments in AI with care, and to reflect about
potential surprises and downsides--as AI scientists and as broader
society. This includes investing in research on studies of what might go
wrong and with developing proactive measures that can help guarantee good
outcomes.”
He also provided a link to materials
about the 2009 “Asilomar meeting on Long-Term AI Futures,” at: http://www.aaai.org/Organization/presidential-panel.php.
A good, rather than a bad, outcome
was what Musk also said he was interested in, before responding to one of the
hosts’ quip that it would be possible to escape to the Mars colony Musk seeks
to build should the AI run amok on Earth.
“The A.I. will chase us there pretty quickly," Musk said, voicing the
concern that not even a multi-planet humanity would be immune to #runawayAI.
