'AI can change everything in the world': Warren Buffett compares AI to the invention of atom bomb – Business Today
Feedback
Warren Buffett, the legendary 92-year-old investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, compared artificial intelligence (AI) to the creation of the atom bomb. Speaking at his company’s annual meeting, Buffett expressed concerns about the rapid advancement of AI technology and how it could change the world. He claimed that ‘AI can change everything in the world except how men think and behave’.
Buffett acknowledged that AI has its limits, such as its inability to tell convincing jokes. However, he also recognized its capacity to do all kinds of things, and that worries him. Buffett even claimed that he got a chance to use ChatGPT with the help of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
The comparison with the atom bomb is significant, as Buffett has long been a vocal opponent of nuclear weapons, saying he would give all his money to reducing the probability of attacks if he knew how. He said that the creation of the atom bomb was crucial during World War Two, but its release unleashed an enormous power on the world that changed everything, except how men think and behave, paraphrasing a quote from Albert Einstein. He emphasized the need to think about the long-term consequences of AI, rather than just its short-term benefits.
Buffett said, “We did invent for very, very good reason, the atom bomb. And, World War Two, it was enormously important that we did so. But is it good for the next 200 years of the world that the ability to do so has been unleashed?”
On the plus side, Buffett also said that “New things coming along doesn’t take away the opportunities. What gives you the opportunities is other people doing dumb things.”
Also Watch: Warren Buffett compares AI to the creation of Atom Bomb, warns on US slowdown; key takeaways from BH annual meeting
Buffett’s comments fall in line with the voice of concerns about the new technology, even by people who were fundamental in its growth. A former Google employee and the man who is often considered to be the ‘Godfather of AI’, Geoffrey Hinton claimed that he left the tech company to openly talk about AI and its dangers. He even said that a part of him regrets his entire life’s work. Hinton recently also said that AI’s threat to the world could be more urgent than climate change.
Taking a similar line of thought, Stuart Russell, the author of Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, compared AI to the Chernobyl disaster. Claiming that, if left unchecked, the creation of artificial intelligence could lead to a disaster. In an exclusive interaction with Business Today, Russell discussed why he signed a petition that demanded companies like OpenAI, and Microsoft to stop the development of AI models more advanced that GPT-4.
Read more about it: ‘A Chernobyl for AI’ looms if artificial intelligence is kept unchecked, says scientist Stuart Russell
Also read: AI threat ‘more urgent’ than climate change, says godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton
Copyright©2024 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today
Add Business Today to Home Screen
Home
Market
BT TV
Reels
Menu
Menu
