, Columnist
What the Breathless AI ‘Extinction’ Warning Gets Wrong
A one-sentence statement signed by a long list of industry experts is impressive in its humility but tone-deaf about politics.
Is that avatar an existential risk?
Photographer: Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty Images
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Sometimes publicity stunts backfire. A case in point may be the one-sentence warning issued this week by the Center for AI Safety: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”
The list of signatories is impressive, including many executives and software engineers at leading AI companies. Yet for all the apparent sincerity on display, this statement it is more likely to generate backlash than assent.