Yoshua Bengio, a renowned Canadian computer science professor and "godfather of AI," has launched a non-profit organization called LawZero to mitigate the risks associated with artificial intelligence. Bengio, a Turing Award winner, has been warning about the dangers of AI for years, particularly with the development of AI agents that can make decisions autonomously.
Bengio's concerns are centered around the potential loss of control over rogue super-intelligent AIs, which could greatly harm humanity. He also fears that giving AI human-like agency can be used for malicious purposes such as disinformation, bioweapons, and cyberattacks. Furthermore, Bengio believes that the current development of AI prioritizes profit over safety and security.
To address these concerns, LawZero aims to develop a specially trained AI to serve as a guardrail, ensuring other AIs behave properly. The organization will also focus on embedding safety mechanisms into AI systems and advocating for robust regulatory measures to govern AI development and deployment.
LawZero has received funding from Schmidt Sciences, a charity set up by former Google boss Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy. With over 15 researchers already on board, the organization is well-positioned to tackle the challenges of AI safety. Bengio emphasizes the need for caution and responsibility in AI development, prioritizing safety over competition. He believes that non-agentic AI systems can achieve transformative results in science, medicine, and other fields without the risks associated with agentic systems.
