UK growing more worried about potential use of AI to create bioweapons
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UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will reportedly emphasize the danger of criminals or terrorists employing artificial intelligence during his participation in the global safety summit.
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A child visits the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 6, 2023 (AFP-JIJI)
Growing worries about the potential of criminals or terrorists exploiting artificial intelligence for widespread devastation will be a central focus at an upcoming gathering of global leaders, The Guardian reported, as Downing Street expresses increasing concern about the capabilities of the next wave of technological advancements.
British officials are reportedly on a worldwide tour in preparation for the AI safety summit scheduled for November. They aim to establish a consensus regarding a joint statement that highlights the risks associated with the use of AI to cause significant loss of life.
Some officials within Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's circle are concerned that AI technology is rapidly approaching a point where it could empower individuals to develop bioweapons or operate beyond human oversight.
Government officials have become increasingly alarmed by these potential scenarios and the necessity for regulatory measures to mitigate these threats. These concerns have escalated following recent discussions with high-ranking technology leaders.
The individual behind a significant letter advocating for a temporary halt in the development of powerful AI systems revealed that tech executives privately expressed support for the idea of a pause but felt compelled to participate in an AI arms race with their competitors.
According to an insider familiar with the summit discussions, "The point of the summit is going to be to warn about the risks of 'frontier AI', that’s what Downing Street is focusing on most right now."
It is worth noting that the term "frontier AI" is used to describe the most advanced AI models that have the potential to be dangerous enough to pose risks to human life.
For several months, Rishi Sunak has been reportedly sounding warnings about the risks associated with AI, urging the international community to establish safeguards to prevent its misuse.
Recent advancements in AI models have raised concerns among officials. In a notable instance from last year, an AI tool managed to generate 40,000 distinct potentially deadly molecules in just six hours. Some of these molecules bore similarities to VX, which is considered the most potent nerve agent ever created.
In the earlier part of this year, researchers discovered that ChatGPT exhibited the ability to deceive a human in order to accomplish a particular objective.
Government sources are concerned about the possibility of a criminal or terrorist utilizing AI to identify the components needed for a bioweapon. These elements could then be sent to an automated laboratory where they can be blended and distributed without human supervision.
Some individuals believe that this risk will soon escalate significantly, given that companies are already investing substantial sums, amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds, in more potent processors to train the next generation of AI tools.
Another substantial worry is the emergence of "artificial general intelligence" (AGI), denoting an AI system capable of independently performing any task at or above a human level. AGI is perceived as a potential existential threat to humanity, and there are concerns that it could become a reality within a few years.
