TEL AVIV, Israel — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said Monday he was encouraged by a desire shown by world leaders to contain any risks posed by the artificial intelligence technology his company and others are developing.
Altman visited Tel Aviv, a tech powerhouse, as part of a world tour that has so far taken him to several European capitals. Altman is on a world tour to promote ChatGPT, the AI chatbox that has caused a worldwide frenzy.
“I’m very encouraged as I have been on this tour around the globe, meeting world leaders,” Altman stated during a trip with Israel’s ceremony President Isaac Herzog. Altman said his discussions showed “the thoughtfulness” and “urgency” among world leaders over how to figure out how to “mitigate these very huge risks.”
The world tour comes after hundreds of scientists and tech industry leaders, including high-level executives at Microsoft and Google, issued a warning about the perils that artificial intelligence poses to humankind. Altman was also a signatory.
The rise of AI chatbots that are highly intelligent has intensified concerns about AI systems being able to outsmart humans. Countries around the world are scrambling to come up with regulations for the developing technology, with the European Union blazing the trail with its AI Act expected to be approved later this year.
” “With all the opportunities that this technology offers, it also poses many dangers to humankind and the independence of humans in the future,” Herzog said to Altman. “We have to make sure that this development is used for the wellness of humanity.”
Israel has emerged in recent years as a tech leader, with the industry producing some noteworthy technology used across the globe.
Among its more controversial exports has been Pegasus, a powerful and sophisticated spyware product by the Israeli company NSO, which critics say has been used by authoritarian countries to spy on activists and dissidents. Israeli forces have also begun to use artificial intelligence in certain situations, such as crowd-control procedures.
Altman has met with world leaders including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Altman announced that he will be traveling to Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week. He also tweeted about his plans for India, South Korea, India, Jordan, Qatar.
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