Billionaire Investor Warren Buffett compares Artificial Intelligence to ‘atom bomb’

Generative Artificial Intelligence is the talk of the town, and apps such as ChatGPT have raised concerns about the fear of being misused. Even strong concerns are raised that AI will replace millions of people. The billionaire investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, has also shared his thoughts about the rise of AI and how rapidly it’s evolving.

As per the reports, Buffet discussed the impact of AI and technology during the company’s annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 6. He compared the creation of Artificial Intelligence with an atomic bomb.

In the meeting, he said, “When something can do all kinds of things, I get a little bit worried. Because I know we won’t be able to un-invent it and, you know, we did invent, for very, very good reason, the atom bomb in World War II”.

A while back, his friend Bill Gates introduced him to use ChatGPT. Though impressed by its vast capabilities, he had reservations about this rapidly-evolving technology. He stated, “Though I am impressed by AI’s vast capabilities, including checking all legal opinions since the beginning of time, I am a bit apprehensive about the technology”. He continued, “It was enormously important that we did so. But is it good for the next two hundred years of the world that the ability to do so has been unleashed?”.

Buffett believes AI will change “everything in the world, except how men think and behave”. He said, “We didn’t have a choice, but when you start something, well, Einstein said after the atomic bomb, he said, this has changed everything in the world except how men think. And I would say the same thing, maybe not the same thing, I don’t mean that, but I mean with AI, it can change everything in the world except how men think and behave. And that’s a big step to take”.

His closet aide and vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Charlie Munger, also attended this annual meeting. Munger also shared his concerns, “I am personally sceptical of some of the hype that is going into artificial intelligence. I think old-fashioned intelligence works pretty well”.

Recently, the “godfather of AI”, Geoffrey Hinton, raised similar concerns about AI after leaving Google. According to Dr Hinton, companies are developing products based on generative AI but are not fully considering the risks it poses.

While he showed his concern about the usage of AI as it can potentially eliminate various jobs, Hinton stated that the jobs of Paralegals, personal assistants, and translators are some of the job profiles which the introduction of Artificial Intelligence can replace.

Recently in March, OpenAI launched GPT4, which many technology leaders and researchers opposed. Around 1000 technology leaders and researchers signed an open letter for suspending this technology for six months, stating that it poses “profound risks to society and humanity”.

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‘Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton quits Google and warns over dangers of misinformation

Hollywood Writers Protest Against AI
With the invention of technologies like ChatGPT, many writers and journalists wonder if they will soon lose their jobs. The writers in Hollywood called for protests demanding strict action against the AI so that their jobs are restored.

This week thousands of unionised scribes went on strike demanding better pay and taking aim at other issues, including the rise of generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT, the AI-powered “chatbot” that has captivated and alarmed people in creative professions in recent months.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) demanded that Hollywood’s top studios and networks regulate the use of AI on creative projects. As per a document released on May 1, “AI can’t write or rewrite literary material; can’t be used as source material; and MBA-covered [contract-covered] material can’t be used to train AI.”

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ChatGPT Row: Hollywood writers protest against Artificial Intelligence, claiming it’s taking away their jobs