Ian Hogarth, a prominent investor in the field of artificial intelligence, has expressed concerns over the relentless pursuit of highly intelligent machines.

In a recent op-ed for the Financial Times, he recounted a conversation he had with a machine learning researcher who suggested that we are on the cusp of creating artificial general intelligence (AGI), a development that Hogarth found alarming.

Hogarth pointed out that the timeline for achieving AGI is not universally agreed upon, as estimates range from a decade to fifty years or even longer, Futurism reported.

Nevertheless, there is a noticeable conflict between the goals of AI companies, who are actively seeking AGI, and the concerns of machine learning experts and the general public who grasp the potential consequences of such a development.

The investor recounted asking the researcher, “If we are on the verge of creating something with potentially catastrophic consequences, shouldn’t you warn the public?”

The researcher appeared to be struggling with the weight of this responsibility but, like many others in the field, was caught up in the fast-paced progress of AI.

After the conversation with the researcher, like many other parents, Hogarth found himself contemplating the world his four-year-old son would grow up in.

He moved from shock to anger at the thought that a small group of private companies could make decisions with far-reaching consequences for every individual on the planet, without any democratic oversight.

He questioned whether those racing to develop AGI had a plan to slow down and include the broader community in their decision-making process, as reported by Futurism.

Despite feeling like a situation of “them” versus “us,” he acknowledged that as an investor in over 50 AI startups, he, too, was a part of this community.

Written by staff