The British Prime Minister’s advisor on technology, Rishi Sunak, warns that artificial intelligence (AI) could become powerful enough to “kill numerous humans” within just two years.
The British Independent newspaper quoted Matt Clifford’s statement during a TV program. He expressed that unless producers and developers of AI are regulated globally, extremely powerful systems might emerge that humans struggle to control.
Clifford clarified that “AI currently possesses the ability to create digital weapons capable of launching wide-scale attacks, or biological weapons that could cause numerous fatalities worldwide.”
He continued, “Even the short-term risks are incredibly scary… these are terrible things.”
The existential threat being discussed, he added, is what will happen once we create intelligence superior to human beings.
Clifford predicts that AI systems will surpass human intelligence within two years, indicating their rapidly and continuously evolving capabilities.
This warning comes as Sunak is set to travel to the United States, where he aims to convince President Joe Biden about his “grand plan” for the United Kingdom to be at the heart of international AI regulation.
The Prime Minister wants Britain to host an international regulatory body for AI, similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
