Urgent research needed to tackle AI threats, says Google AI boss

More research into artificial intelligence (AI) threats “needs to be done urgently”, the boss of Google DeepMind has told BBC News.

In an exclusive interview at the AI ​​Impact Summit in Delhi, Sir Demis Hassabis said the industry wants “smart regulation” of the “real risks” posed by technology.

Many technology leaders and politicians at the summit called for AI to be governed more globally, ahead of a joint statement expected as the event draws to a close.

But the US has rejected this stance, with White House technology advisor Michael Kratsios saying: “The adoption of artificial intelligence cannot lead to a brighter future as long as it is subject to bureaucracies and centralized control.”

Sir Demis said it was important to build “robust guardrails” against the most serious threats from the rise of autonomous systems.

He said the two main threats are technology used by “bad actors” and the risk of losing control of systems as they become more powerful.

Asked whether he had the power to slow down the advancement of technology to give experts more time to work on challenges, he said his firm would play an important role but was “the only player in the ecosystem.”

But he acknowledged that keeping up with the pace of AI development was a “tough thing” for regulators.

OpenAI’s boss Sam Altman also called for “urgent regulation” in his speech at the AI ​​Summit, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said countries should work together to benefit from artificial intelligence.

However, the USA has the opposite view. “As the Trump administration has said many times: We completely reject global governance of artificial intelligence,” said Michael Kratsios, head of the US delegation.

Delegates from more than 100 countries, including many world leaders, are attending the event. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy MP represented the UK government.

Mr Lammy said the power does not lie solely with tech companies when it comes to the security of AI and that politicians should work “hand in hand” with the technology, adding that “safety and security must come first and be beneficial for the wider public”.

Sir Demis believes the US and the West are “slightly” ahead in the race for AI supremacy with China, but added it may take “only a few months” for China to catch up.

He said he feels a responsibility to balance being “bold and responsible” in deploying AI systems around the world.

“We don’t always get things right,” he admitted, “but we do them right more than most.”

Science education ‘still very important’

Sir Demis, who won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, said that in the next 10 years, technology will become a “superpower” in terms of what people can create.

“I still think it’s very important to get a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education,” he added.

“If you have a technical infrastructure, I still think it will be an advantage to use these systems.”

He thinks writing AI code will increase the number of people who can develop new applications, “and maybe it becomes all about taste, creativity and judgment.”

The AI ​​Impact Summit is the largest ever global gathering of world leaders and tech moguls.

On Friday, companies and countries are expected to present a common view on how to handle artificial intelligence.

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