Your Undivided Attention

‘We Have to Get It Right’: Gary Marcus On Untamed AI

Sep 26, 2024

41:43

Snipd AI

Gary Marcus, a cognitive psychologist and computer scientist with a successful AI startup, shares his critical views on generative AI. He argues that society is unprepared for the risks associated with current AI technologies. The conversation emphasizes the need for stringent regulations, drawing parallels to aviation safety. Marcus discusses the dangers of misinformation and deepfakes, advocating for an independent agency to oversee AI developments. He calls for public engagement in shaping ethical AI practices, ensuring technology works for humanity.

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Quick takeaways

Gary Marcus highlights the urgent need for a robust regulatory framework to manage the inherent risks associated with generative AI technologies.

Despite significant investment in AI, Marcus warns that our society is ill-prepared for the challenges posed by the existing AI systems.

Deep dives

The Contradictory Landscape of AI Development

The current state of artificial intelligence is characterized by a stark contrast between rapid investment and significant limitations. Companies are investing billions, showcasing increasingly powerful AI models with promises of imminent breakthroughs, while simultaneously, the existing AI technologies often exhibit unreliable behavior, leading to significant stock market declines. Experts like Gary Marcus suggest that while AI will eventually surpass human intelligence, such advancements are unlikely to materialize within the next few years, perhaps even taking decades. Marcus emphasizes that, regardless of the pace of technological growth, society remains ill-equipped to manage the risks posed by the AI systems already in operation.

Regulation is Key to Aligning Technology and Ethics

02:16

Independent Voices Combat Regulatory Capture

01:20

Intro

2min

Navigating the Future of AI

13min

Risks and Ethics of Generative AI

18min

Establishing a New Agency for AI Oversight

2min

Addressing Regulatory Capture in Governance

2min

Urgent Call to Action for Ethical AI Development

4min

It’s a confusing moment in AI. Depending on who you ask, we’re either on the fast track to AI that’s smarter than most humans, or the technology is about to hit a wall. Gary Marcus is in the latter camp. He’s a cognitive psychologist and computer scientist who built his own successful AI start-up. But he’s also been called AI’s loudest critic.

On Your Undivided Attention this week, Gary sits down with CHT Executive Director Daniel Barcay to defend his skepticism of generative AI and to discuss what we need to do as a society to get the rollout of this technology right… which is the focus of his new book, Taming Silicon Valley: How We Can Ensure That AI Works for Us.

The bottom line: No matter how quickly AI progresses, Gary argues that our society is woefully unprepared for the risks that will come from the AI we already have.

Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_

RECOMMENDED MEDIA

Link to Gary’s book: Taming Silicon Valley: How We Can Ensure That AI Works for Us

Further reading on the deepfake of the CEO of India's National Stock Exchange

Further reading on the deepfake of of an explosion near the Pentagon.

The study Gary cited on AI and false memories.

Footage from Gary and Sam Altman’s Senate testimony.

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Correction: Gary mistakenly listed the reliability of GPS systems as 98%. The federal government’s standard for GPS reliability is 95%.