‘What we need is safety brakes’: Microsoft president Brad Smith says no chance of super-intelligent AI soon

Microsoft President Brad Smith, while addressing reporters in Britain, dismissed claims of a perilous breakthrough in the world of artificial intelligence. He stated that the emergence of highly intelligent artificial intelligence within the next 12 months is highly improbable. He cautioned that such technology might take several decades to materialise.

Smith asserted, "There's no chance that we will witness this supposed AGI, where computers surpass human capabilities, in the next 12 months. It's a matter of years, possibly many decades, but I strongly believe that the time to prioritise safety is now."

Earlier this month, the board of directors at OpenAI removed its co-founder, Sam Altman, from the CEO position. However, following an outcry from employees and shareholders over the weekend, Altman was swiftly reinstated. A recent report by Reuters revealed that Altman's removal was linked to researchers contacting the board. These researchers had raised concerns about a potentially risky discovery that could have unintended consequences.

Referred to as Project Q* (pronounced Q-Star) internally, this initiative within the startup could potentially be a significant step forward in the quest for artificial general intelligence (AGI). AGI, as defined by OpenAI, encompasses autonomous systems that outperform humans in most economically valuable tasks.

When questioned if such a discovery factored into Altman's removal, Smith replied, "I don't believe that's the case at all. There was evidently a divergence between the board and others, but it wasn't primarily about such a concern."

He added, “What we really need are safety brakes. Just like you have a safety break in an elevator, a circuit breaker for electricity, an emergency brake for a bus – there ought to be safety breaks in AI systems that control critical infrastructure, so that they always remain under human control.”

Also Read ‘Felt hurt and angry’: Sam Altman opens up on why he was fired and then rehired as OpenAI CEO