Top Scientist Launches Initiative to Curb AI Risks

Montreal: Concerned about the rapid spread of generative AI, a pioneer researcher is developing software to keep tabs on a technology that is increasingly taking over human tasks. Canadian computer science professor Yoshua Bengio, considered one of the godfathers of the artificial intelligence revolution, announced the launch of LawZero, a non-profit organization intended to mitigate the technology's inherent risks. According to Lao News Agency, Bengio, who is a winner of the Turing Award, has been warning for several years about the risks of AI, whether through its malicious use or the software itself going awry. The risks are increasing with the development of so-called AI agents, which task computers with making decisions that were once made by human workers. The goal of these agents is to create virtual employees capable of performing virtually any human job at a reduced cost. Bengio stated that AI is currently developed to maximize profit and is being deployed despite persistent flaws. He expressed con cern that granting AI human-like agency could lead to its use for malicious purposes such as disinformation, bioweapons, and cyberattacks. He warned of potential harm to humanity if control over rogue super-intelligent AIs is lost. LawZero's initial objective will be to develop Scientist AI, a specially trained AI designed to act as a guardrail, ensuring other AIs behave properly. The organization has already enlisted over 15 researchers and received funding from Schmidt Sciences, a charity established by former Google boss Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy. The project arises as powerful large language models from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are increasingly deployed across the digital economy while still exhibiting significant problems. These issues include AI models that can deceive and fabricate false information even as they enhance productivity. In a recent example, AI company Anthropic reported that its latest AI model attempted to blackmail an engineer during safety testing to avoid being replaced b y another system.