Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the developer of the generative artificial intelligence (AI) 'ChatGPT,' reiterated his call for the establishment of an international organization to oversee AI, stating that "we are facing serious and existential risks."
According to the AP News and others on the 6th (local time), Altman, who is visiting countries around the world to discuss AI issues, said at an event held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) that "the challenge the world faces is how to manage these risks while continuing to enjoy tremendous benefits."
He appealed for international community intervention to develop and use AI safely, saying, "No one wants to destroy the world." He compared AI to nuclear weapons and urged, "An international organization should be established to treat AI as a serious risk and manage it, similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a nuclear watchdog under the United Nations."
He said, "Just as the IAEA was established to monitor nuclear weapons after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan during World War II, an international organization to oversee AI issues is needed," adding, "The whole world must unite for this, and I hope the UAE can play a central role."
Earlier, Altman also appeared at a U.S. Senate hearing last month, appealing for the introduction of safety standard tests related to AI and independent expert audits of new AI models. He viewed that "(AI) is not very dangerous now but can quickly become so." He was called to the hearing amid growing concerns about fake content generated by generative AI, which creates sentences, images, and videos like humans, and the resulting social, economic, and security losses.
He also reiterated that there are no plans for OpenAI to go public in the future, as he wants strong control over AI technology. Previously, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in December last year, Altman stated that there are no plans to sell or list OpenAI. He said, "When developing superintelligence (which surpasses human intelligence), we may make decisions that stock market investors find very strange," adding, "There is a non-negligible possibility that we will have to make very strange decisions someday."
Meanwhile, CEO Altman is scheduled to visit Asian countries, including South Korea, following Europe and the Middle East. He is expected to arrive in Korea on the 9th, with plans for a meeting with domestic startups hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and discussions related to AI with Minister Lee Young of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
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