Tech

OpenAI's co-founder says at some point it'll be 'quite easy, if one wanted, to cause a great deal of harm' with AI models like ChatGPT

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OpenAI's chief scientist and co-founder, Ilya Sutskever, says there will come a time when AI models could be pretty easily exploited to "cause a great deal of harm." Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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OpenAI released its latest version of ChatGPT this week, and while the AI chatbot keeps adding new capabilities, there's growing concern that AI tools like it could also be used for bad purposes.

Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's chief scientist and co-founder, told The Verge there will come a time when AI could be pretty easily exploited to cause harm.

"These models are very potent and they're becoming more and more potent," he said. "At some point it will be quite easy, if one wanted, to cause a great deal of harm with those models."

He made the remarks while explaining why OpenAI no longer provides detailed information about how it trains these models.

"As the capabilities get higher it makes sense that you don't want want to disclose them," he told The Verge. "I fully expect that in a few years it's going to be completely obvious to everyone that open-sourcing AI is just not wise."

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has voiced similar concerns in the past.

In an interview earlier this year, he said that while the best-case scenario for AI is "so unbelievably good that it's hard for me to even imagine," the worst case is "lights out for all of us."

In a Twitter thread last month, Altman said he thinks AI tools can help people become more productive, healthier, and smarter, but also added that the world may not be "that far away from potentially scary" artificial intelligence tools, so regulating them will be "critical."

 

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Sarah Jackson
Sarah Jackson was a senior reporter at Business Insider who covers tech and trending business news, with a focus on the workplace. She has covered The Great Resignation, workplace trends, remote work and RTO, tech layoffs, the job search, and more. Before joining Business Insider in 2021, Sarah also wrote for places like Inc., NBC News, and The Today Show. She received her B.A. in journalism from NYU.Some of Sarah's top stories include:Workers are 'epiphany-quitting' their jobs after the pandemic forced them to rethink everything about their livesJob postings can reveal signs of trouble ahead with a potential employer or role. Here are the red flags that candidates should look for.The 'hushed hybrid' work schedule is the latest way employees are getting around a return to the officeNew York City employers are now required to list salary ranges in their job posts. Here's how that will affect candidates and companies.as-told-to: I do 'Bare Minimum Mondays' at work to help beat the 'Sunday scaries' and avoid burnout. It's completely changed my life and how I approach my job.