Inflection AI Warns of AI Chatbots Interfering With US Elections
Election interference has always been a hot subject, and things are about to get out of hand as artificial intelligence chatbots become powerful. A slew of chatbots rolled out can answer questions, summarize text, and perform other tasks when prompted by users. Likewise, there are growing concerns that such tools could significantly impact how people vote in the upcoming US election.
Controlling Chatbots
Concerned by the threat that AI-powered chatbots could have in the upcoming US presidential election, Inflection AI has started coordinating with other startups to limit the tools’ role. The artificial intelligence startup co-founder Mustafa Suleyman says they will not allow their chatbot Pi to advocate for any political candidate.
Likewise, Suleyman has started a campaign urging other startups to prevent their chatbots from recommending political candidates, which could amount to election interference. Part of the push entails advising AI companies to avoid political commentary on AI products. Such actions could result in chatbots refraining from giving suggestions on who to vote for.
Inflection is a startup that has raised billions of dollars amid the artificial intelligence hype. The company boasts a star-studded list of investors led by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt, and Nvidia Corp.
It would not be the first time that companies with chatbots have programmed them to offer answers to some queries. For instance, most chatbots decline to answer questions that might result in a crime, for instance, providing answers on how to rob a bank or kidnap someone.
Musk AI Warning
The push to restrict chatbots’ role in the upcoming elections brings to light the ever-growing concerns about how powerful AI tools could become. More than 1,000 technology leaders and researchers led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk have urged AI labs to pause developing the most advanced systems. The warning comes on growing concerns that advanced AI tools could present profound risks to society and humanity far worse than election interference.
Some AI tools in the market have already been criticized for getting details wrong. Likewise, there are growing concerns that they could be used to spread misinformation that could cause significant dangers in addition to affecting how people vote, respond, and perform other tasks. Musk has been vocal in urging for the development of safety protocols for AI systems.
According to Musk, the development of robust AI systems should only proceed once it is determined that the tools will have a positive impact and that those humans will always be in control. In addition, the risks posed by the tools should be manageable. Failure to institute controls and safety protocols could result in AI systems that assume complete control of humanity.
While Musk has been one of the most prominent investors in the revolutionary technology that could enhance self-driving features in Tesla vehicles, he has also been wary of how powerful the technology could become. He is on record calling for a competitor to Microsoft’s Partnership with Open AI and Google’s relationship with DeepMind to ensure the two tech giants don’t manipulate the technology to the disadvantage of other industry players or humanity.
