Artificial intelligence: the rapid advance of AI development frightens the technology sector

The dismissal and return of Salm Altman at OpenAI highlights the dangers hidden behind the company's new projects.

An earthquake in the world of artificial intelligence. The week has been hectic for the sector, after the comings and goings of the CEO of OpenAI and developer of ChatGPT, Sam Altman. The manager was initially fired, before being reinstated after a proposal from Microsoft to make him part of its assets.

According to the latest reports, at the center of the controversy that accompanies Altman's dismissal and return is the development of an artificial intelligence that is too advanced and endangers humanity. According to Reuters, this is a development that OpenAI is keeping secret and that goes beyond the limits of ethics.

According to reports, the dismissal of the manager could pose a problem in controlling the advanced development of this AI. Several workers, faced with the threat of Altman's departure, reportedly wrote a letter to management, presenting the staff's position and warning of the consequences of firing the AI genius. “Sources cited the letter as one of the factors in a long list of board complaints that led to Altman's dismissal, including concerns about commercializing advances before understanding the consequences,” Reuters reports.

The project is known as Q* and according to reports, it managed to solve some mathematical problems that until now AIs were incapable of addressing. These mathematical problems were until now the border that artificial intelligences could not cross.

Altman in favor of regulating AI

The danger of doing without Altman lies in his vision of AI as a tool. The CEO of OpenAI was in favor of regulating the development of artificial intelligence, a position he reiterated when he appeared before Congress. Altman then explained that with the rapid development of technology, new dangers will also arise, which is why he stated that it is necessary to create regulations for companies in the sector. “My worst fear is that we, the technology industry, will cause significant harm to the world,” he told the Senate Judiciary subcommittee. “If this technology goes wrong, it can go pretty bad.”

The trend that Altman defends was previously exposed by Elon Musk, who promoted the signing of a manifesto against the accelerated development of artificial intelligence. The open letter, which received the signature of more than 33,000 workers in the sector, requested at the time a pause of at least six months for laboratories to establish new protocols and ethical principles that regulate the development and use of AI. All under the supervision of neutral observers. According to the open letter, the race between different laboratories to develop ever more advanced artificial intelligences may lead to serious consequences for society. The letter denounces that the current development of the laboratories could end up in a product that escapes the control and understanding of its own creators.

Dangers to humanity

The development of artificial intelligence is of particular concern to the labor market. Altman himself warned about it in an interview. "I want to be clear: I think these systems will cause many jobs to disappear, as happens with all technological revolutions." The most exposed jobs are those that require text production or office jobs. The safest ones are the most physical ones that require manual parts.

Advertising is another weak point that AI threatens. Several platforms such as YouTube or Meta have already announced that all advertisements produced with artificial intelligence should carry a notification to notify users.