AI: Artificial or Apocalypse Intel?

October 10, 2024

It’s been a momentous few days in the world of artificial intelligence. On October 8, Geoffrey Hinton, dubbed a “Godfather of Artificial Intelligence”, won the Nobel Prize. A physicist, he created technologies that have led to the creation of ChatGPT and other AI breakthroughs. However, he is a member of the Future of Life Institute, a non-profit dedicated to convincing governments and companies to implement safety regulations to govern AI research and development globally. Hinton no sooner received his award than he immediately warned, as he has done before, that artificial intelligence must be supervised or one day it will be capable of controlling or wiping out humans. Unfortunately, California Governor Gavin Newsom wasn’t listening. On September 29, he vetoed SB 1047, the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act — the world’s first legislative attempt to make AI developers liable for the safety and preventing “critical harms.” Newsome vetoed it, succumbing to intense tech lobbying. The Bill’s sponsor, State Senator Scott Wiener, declared that the veto was “a setback for everyone who believes in oversight of massive corporations that are making critical decisions that affect the safety and welfare of the public and the future of the planet.”