January 14, 2015
UW’s Calo, Weld advocate research for ‘robust, beneficial’ artificial intelligence
Ryan Calo, left, and Daniel Weld
Two UW faculty members — Ryan Calo, assistant professor of law, and Daniel Weld, professor of computer science and engineering — have joined hundreds of other researchers in an open letter calling for research to make artificial intelligence more robust and beneficial to humankind. Others signing the letter include physicist Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk of Space X.
The letter was published by the Future of Life Institute, a volunteer organization seeking to lessen existential risks facing society and currently focusing on potential risks from the development of human-level artificial intelligence.
“There is now a broad consensus that AI research is progressing steadily, and that its impact on society is liable to increase,” the letter states. “We cannot predict what we might achieve when this intelligence is magnified by the tools AI might provide, but the eradication of disease and poverty are not unfathomable. Because of the great potential of AI, it is important to research how to reap its benefits while avoiding potential pitfalls.”
Calo also was among several researchers who provided substantial input to “Research Priorities for Robust and Beneficial Artificial Intelligence,” a document posted at the Future of Life website.
That document concludes, “We believe that research on how to make AI systems robust and beneficial is both important and timely, and that there are concrete research directions that can be pursued today.”
The letter has received a great deal of national and international coverage, from the BBC to American networks, websites and newspapers.
