In late November 2022, the AI revolution continued to have a big impact on the tech industry.
Tech giants and CEOs are fascinated by its immense possibilities but also concerned about the potential risks it may bring.
Some people have signed a letter suggesting a six-month pause in AI development, fearing that it could eventually outperform humans.
However, others remain optimistic. Here is the view of Yann LeCun, a respected AI expert and chief AI scientist at Meta, regarding the future of AI and its impact on society.
AI's Surpassing Human Intelligence
Yann LeCun, considered one of the pioneers of AI, is highly esteemed for his innovative work in the field.
In 2018, he, along with Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, was honoured with the prestigious Turing Award for their groundbreaking contributions.
Their neural network, which forms the basis for ChatGPT, Bing, and Bard chatbots, has brought about a significant transformation in the field of AI.
In a BBC report, LeCun expressed confidence that AI will eventually surpass human intelligence.
However, he emphasised that this advancement is not imminent, as researchers are still working on fundamental concepts necessary for achieving such a milestone.
LeCun predicts that it will likely take many years, if not decades, of ongoing research and development before AI reaches a stage where it surpasses human intelligence.
Fears of AI Domination
LeCun dismisses the idea that AI poses an existential threat or has the potential to rapidly take control of the world.
He believes that such concerns twig from projecting human characteristics onto machines.
Contrary to prevailing anxieties, he argues against stifling AI research and development.
LeCun draws a parallel to the early days of aviation, highlighting that questioning the safety of AI research is like asking about the safety of turbo-jets in 1930 when they hadn't even been invented.
He emphasises that achieving the human-level AI necessary for dominance is still a distant goal.
False Assumptions
LeCun has taken a contrary stance to experts like Elon Musk regarding the existential threat posed by AI.
He dismisses claims of a "hard take-off" phenomenon, considering them "completely false."
This theory suggests that once a super-intelligent AI system is activated, it would rapidly self-improve and surpass human intelligence, potentially resulting in terrible consequences.
However, LeCun challenges this idea and does not believe in such an abrupt and dangerous scenario.
"The concept of hard take-off, based on an assumption of infinite exponential growth, is unrealistic," according to LeCun.