Stuart Russell, a Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and a renowned authority on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, is sounding the alarm on the dangers of unchecked AI development. As the co-author of the standard text in the field of AI, "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach," his credentials are unparalleled.
In an exclusive interview with Business Today's Aayush Ailawadi, Professor Russell highlighted the need for patience and the importance of understanding the laws and regulations surrounding AI. When asked about the current state of AI law, he noted that the need for a moratorium on unchecked AI development aligns with the upcoming legislation in the EU. He cautioned against companies releasing systems that cause trouble and urged them to abide by reasonable regulations.
Professor Russell also touched upon the recent headlines regarding Italy's purported ban on ChatGPT. He clarified that what really happened was a bug in the billing software that theoretically allowed users to view other users' billing information for a brief period. While it's unclear if any information was leaked, the regulator considered it a violation of data privacy laws, not AI law. Russell stressed that bugs in data security happen with all kinds of computer software on the web, and companies should be subject to reasonable regulations to avoid such situations.
He further emphasized that people need to trust their software and avoid situations where children engage in inappropriate conversations with bots or become addicted to video game software designed to create physiological addiction.
“We want to avoid this kind of situation where companies are releasing systems that are causing all kinds of trouble, and then they're getting shut down by regulators, it should work that we have reasonable regulation, and companies abide by reasonable regulations. People want to be able to trust their software,” Russell said.
He argued that government regulation is necessary to prevent such abuses and he views this regulation process as beneficial for everyone involved. “I think many people would like the government to step up and put some reasonable regulation in place, just as we have aeroplanes and cars and pharmaceuticals and lots of other areas. And without those regulations, those industries could not exist, because nobody would trust the drugs, nobody would get on an aeroplane, nobody would buy a car. And so this is a beneficial process,” Russell concluded.
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