AI pioneer Andrew Ng calls extinction fears ‘science fiction’

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomeInnovationAI pioneer Andrew Ng calls extinction fears ‘science fiction’Tech leaders are calling for the industry to pace AI development and take additional steps to safeguard usersAuthor of the article:Andrew Ng said there are “practical engineering problems” the industry can focus on to continue to improve and safeguard the technology. Photo by Big Event Media/Getty Images for HumanX ConferenceArtificial intelligence pioneer Andrew Ng said warnings about existential AI risks from researchers at top model makers are “science fiction” that may be detrimental to ensuring the technology’s maximum benefits to society.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountNg, who helped start Google Brain and Coursera Inc., said the tech industry previously stoked fears about the potential catastrophic harms of artificial intelligence earlier in the AI boom in an apparent bid to bolster publicity and shape regulation.“I was quite dismayed over the past two weeks,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Thursday. “This wave of PR has kicked up again, for probably similar purposes.”Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThe high-profile resignation this month of former Anthropic and OpenAI researcher Jacob Coxon helped bring a long-simmering discussion about AI safety into the mainstream. Coxon accused both his former employers of “gambling with our lives” by “racing toward super-intelligent AI,” and said the people building AI believe it could “kill us all by the end of the decade.”Earlier this week, an AI researcher who recently resigned from Google DeepMind also warned humanity is running out of time to prevent artificial intelligence from causing widespread harm.Against that backdrop, AI leaders including Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman are calling for the industry to pace development of cutting-edge models and take additional steps to safeguard future development.Ng, who previously worked with both Amodei and Altman earlier in their careers, said there are certainly risks from AI, including with cybersecurity capabilities. But he described the concerns around human extinction as “much more science fiction than science.”He also said there are “practical engineering problems” the industry can focus on to continue to improve and safeguard the technology, while working to ensure that AI can be used for “many of the wonderful things it can do.”—With assistance from Ed Ludlow.We apologize, but this video has failed to load.This advertisement has not loaded yet.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.