US and Chinese experts agree on the risks of artificial intelligence

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said that China has a key role to play in shaping the barriers that are being erected around artificial intelligence.

Here's What He Said

"China has some of the best AI talent in the world" he said during a speech at the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI).

According to Altman, solving the matching problem for advanced technologies requires the participation of "the best minds". He also expressed hope that Chinese AI researchers will be directly involved.

BAAI chairman Zhang Hongjiang said Chinese experts were also deeply concerned about the new possibilities of the technology.

"I really think that [Altman] is doing humankind a service by making this tour, by talking to various governments and institutions," he said.

Zhang said a number of Chinese scientists have signed a letter calling for a halt to the development of powerful AI systems. He added that the BAAI has long focused on the more immediate risks of AI.

Here's What We Know

Altman was not the only Western AI expert to attend the BAAI conference. Geoffrey Hinton, one of the pioneers of deep learning, MIT professor and director of the Future of Life Institute Max Tegmark, and the "godfather" of AI, Yann LeCun, were also in attendance.

Source: Wired