An open letter signed by tech industry leaders and Tesla founder Elon Musk called on AI labs to pause “giant AI experiments” for at least six months, fearing that AI technology whose intelligence is competitive with that of human beings can “pose profound risks to society and humanity”.
The letter — whose signatories include Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, AI expert Stuart Russell, Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn and other leading academics and executives — said AI labs around the world are engaged in an “out-of-control race” to develop the most powerful AI systems, which could be more powerful than anyone can imagine.
“Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable,” reads the letter, which was published by the Future of Life Institute.
The letter comes after recent fake photos generated by AI spread across social media. One photo that went viral showed Pope Francis wearing a luxury white puffer jacket. That AI-generated image first appeared on Reddit before duping users on Twitter.
Another featured several photos of Donald Trump being apprehended by police officers, which circulated days after he claimed without evidence that he would be arrested. The former US president himself shared a Truth Social post that contained an AI-generated image of him kneeling in prayer.
Tech leaders said AI labs should immediately pause training AI systems more powerful than GPT-4 for at least six months while they develop safety protocols that would be overseen by an independent panel.
“These protocols should ensure that systems adhering to them are safe beyond a reasonable doubt,” the letter reads.
“This does not mean a pause on AI development in general, merely a stepping back from the dangerous race to ever-larger unpredictable black-box models with emergent capabilities.”
The letter also called for new regulators, oversight, public funding for AI safety research, liability for AI-caused harm and more.
Mr Musk this week commented on Twitter after an AI-generated image circulated of him purportedly holding hands with Mary Barra, the head of car company GM.
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
