Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman warns that the push from Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak and other tech and AI experts to halt development of AI systems for six months is giving the “bad guys” time to catch up.
Ackman, who founded Pershing Square Capital Management, made the remark after greater than 1,000 people signed a letter arguing that independent supervisors must develop security protocols to guide the longer term of AI systems.
“Closing AI development for six months gives the villains six more months to catch up. Our enemies are working hard to create their very own @OpenAI,” Ackman tweeted.
“It might be a mistake to delay the Manhattan Project and let the Nazis catch up,” he added. “I do not think we have now a selection.”
The letter asked AI developers to “immediately suspend for a minimum of 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4.”
GPT-4 is OpenAI’s latest deep learning model, which it says “shows human-level performance in various skilled and academic benchmarks.”
![Bill Ackman](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/NYPICHPDPICT000003817779-1.jpg?w=1024)
The letter warns that at this stage, nobody “can understand, predict or reliably control” the powerful recent tools developed in artificial intelligence labs. The undersigned technical experts cite the chance of propaganda and lies being spread through AI-generated articles that appear to be true, and even the likelihood that AI programs could outperform staff and render jobs obsolete.
According to a recent report by Goldman Sachs economists, artificial intelligence and its ability to replicate basic workplace tasks could impact an estimated 300 million full-time jobs. Additionally they estimated that 7% of the present US workforce might be replaced by AI.
Research shows that industries with the best risk of substitution include office and administrative support, legal, architectural and engineering, business and financial services, and sales.
“AI labs and independent experts should use this break to jointly develop and implement a set of common security protocols for advanced AI design and development which can be rigorously audited and overseen by independent third-party experts,” the letter reads.
![ChatGPT on your smartphone](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/NYPICHPDPICT000006093108-1.jpg?w=1024)
“In parallel, AI developers must work with policy makers to dramatically speed up the event of sturdy AI governance systems.”
Notably absent from the letter’s signatories was Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.
Chris Pandolfo and Kristen Altus of FOX Business contributed to this report.