Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

High-profile tech leaders say AI is developing too fast and we should pause. Google's Bard says it's complicated.

High-profile tech leaders say AI is developing too fast and we should pause. Google's Bard says it's complicated.

If you ask a chatbot whether artificial intelligence is growing too fast, it will equivocate. If you ask a group of high-profile tech leaders and researchers, they'll answer a firm "yes."
"There is no definitive answer to this question as it is a complex issue with many different perspectives," Google's AI engine, Bard, told Insider as part of a response to a query about whether the technology is developing at an unsafe pace.

Yet some of the brightest minds behind the development of AI and a roster of bold-faced tech names argued this week that it is indeed time to pump the brakes. That could involve companies coming up with standards and declaring how they are using or plan to use AI, business leaders told Insider.

In a letter that had drawn more than 1,800 signatures, luminaries from Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Twitter, to Steve Wozniak, a cofounder of Apple, to researchers from top universities including Harvard and Oxford said the world is moving too fast in adopting AI without understanding the ramifications of going big on a fundamentally different type of technology.

"Recent months have seen AI labs locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever-more-powerful digital minds that no one — not even their creators — can understand, predict, or reliably control," the letter reads.

Insider's Emilia David also wrote that calling a time-out makes a lot of sense.

While the letter agrees that engineers should develop AI systems, what's causing alarm is that there are no agreed-upon guardrails for how models like ChatGPT, GPT4, Bard, and other generative-AI systems should operate.

"Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable," the letter read.

To get there, companies like SAP, the German software giant that helps businesses with financial reporting, inventory tracking, and human-resources services, are establishing standards for their own teams. Others, like PwC, the global accounting-and-consulting firm, advised CEOs to be open about how and where they're incorporating the technology.

"AI is a fast-moving field of technology that is also creating new possibilities every day," Sebastian Wieczorek, the vice president of artificial-intelligence technology and the global lead of AI ethics at SAP, told Insider.

All businesses should be asking themselves whether they know what AI is doing, Wes Bricker, a vice chair at PwC, told Insider.

"AI will transform significant areas of the business," he said, and as we all discover how tech will enable us all to do our jobs better, "business leaders have a responsibility for being transparent as we learn more about AI."

It's no secret that AI is fast-moving, sometimes with unexpected consequences. Bing's Sydney AI chatbot, anyone? Goldman Sachs said this week that AI could boost worker productivity so much that annual world GDP could jump by 7%.

"It's a constant update," Wieczorek said of SAP. He said questions SAP teams are asking include, "How can we improve that?" "What are the steps that they're taking so that we can see the available data?" "What's the value that we can achieve?" "What's the accuracy we can achieve with technologies at hand?"

Bricker said business leaders need to work on improving the rules around AI systems and processes. "Do we have good, clear governance guidelines, so that we understand where we're using it, and we're not misusing it or overusing it?" he said, adding that AI needs to be "understandable and explainable."

AI uses extensive amounts of data, much of it sensitive, and "businesses have a responsibility to protect that data," Bricker said. He added that they need to understand "where AI is placing the experience or security at risk."

There are many reasons businesses and consumers might be excited about — and embrace — AI. For one, Wieczorek said, many businesses grapple with similar types of problems that AI could help remedy. These include challenges around internal and external communications, financing, HR processes, promotions, training, and retirement planning.

SAP focuses its AI development on the improvement and standardization of common business processes. One thing Wieczorek said he reminds his teams of is that the way engineers build programs like ChatGPT, GPT4 or Bard mostly trains the programs on text. They eventually need to be trained on other types of data, such as images. "These models seem to be simple and rudimentary. It can answer mathematical equations or riddles, but not to the extent humans can right now," Wieczorek said.

Humans should be at the center of any AI-ethics policy, Wieczorek said. "We want to support humans in making decisions. In fact, for every use case, SAP mandates a series of questions to assess risk, including questions about processing personal and sensitive data."'

Bard has its own idea about a world that contains more AI: "I am aware that AI has the potential to cause harm, and I am concerned about the potential risks of AI. However, I am also confident that AI can be used for good, and that we can develop AI in a way that minimizes the risks and maximizes the benefits."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Saudi Arabia Faces Uncertainty Over Succession After Mohammed bin Salman
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Majority of French Voters View Macron's Presidency as a Failure
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
×