Elon Musk and other tech luminaries have called for a pause on “giant A.I.” experiments for at least six months. In an open petition, signatories asked A.I. labs to pump the brakes a little on the revolution. Proposals including setting up regulatory bodies to oversee future developments, guidelines for what to do about harm caused by A.I. and how to deal with the predicted displacement of human workers by machine learning. And of course, the role of A.I. in tackling the ubiquitous “misinformation”.
But companies have already begun integrating A.I. into their work practices. Goldman Sachs is predicting that labor-saving effects of A.I. could see the global GDP increase by 7%. The scramble to incorporate machine learning into workplaces has seen employers willing to pay top dollar. Bloomberg says the demand for “A.I. whisperers” is on the rise. “‘Prompt engineers’, people who spend their day coaxing the A.I. to produce better results and help companies train their workforce to harness the tools” will be rewarded handsomely.
It might sound like a lofty goal – taking time to consider whether we are opening a Pandora’s box. However, while the US debates who regulates what, China and other nations will not be halting their race to dominate the space.