The CEO of Coinbase, Brian Armstrong, has come out against calls from some in the tech industry for a temporary pause in ChatGPT’s upgrades.
This comes in response to a tweet from author Gary Marcus, who stated that over 1,000 experts had called for a temporary pause on training systems exceeding GPT-4.
Marcus was referring to the “Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter,” which calls for a halt in the development of AI systems with human-competitive intelligence.
Armstrong disagreed with the idea, stating that there are no “experts” to adjudicate the issue and that many disparate actors will never agree. He added that committees and bureaucracy would not solve anything and that progress should continue because the good outweighs the bad.
Armstrong warned against letting fear stop progress and cautioned against anyone trying to capture control of some central authority.
Coinbase CEO Vs. Call For AI Labs To Pause Development
The letter calls for all AI labs to immediately pause the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4 for at least six months.
During this pause, AI labs and independent experts should work together to develop and implement shared safety protocols for advanced AI design and development that are rigorously audited and overseen by independent outside experts.
The letter also suggests that AI developers must work with policymakers to accelerate the development of robust AI governance systems. These should include regulatory authorities dedicated to AI, oversight, and tracking of highly capable AI systems, and a robust auditing and certification ecosystem.
The call for a pause on AI development is not without precedent. Society has hit a pause on other technologies with potentially catastrophic effects on society, and the letter suggests that we can do the same here. However, the CEO of Coinbase believes that progress should continue and that the marketplace of ideas will ultimately lead to better outcomes.
It remains to be seen whether the call for a pause on AI development will gain traction or progress will continue unabated. Nonetheless, the development of advanced AI systems is an issue. It requires careful consideration and management to ensure that their positive effects outweigh the potential risks.
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