Nico Andreas Heller in conversation with Yoshua Bengio.

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As AI rapidly advances towards human-level capabilities, the debate over its regulation intensifies. Some argue that regulation is futile and open-source AGI will drive progress, but these perspectives overlook critical risks. Unchecked market forces and geopolitical competition could lead to catastrophic outcomes, but we still have the power to shape a safer future.

In this dialogue, we revisit the potentially catastrophic risks of superhuman AI systems and explore multifaceted approaches to contain, manage, and mitigate these risks. Our discussion extends to regulation and legislation, examining necessary protective laws and their global implementation status. We also address the critical need for effective governance and oversight, exploring potential global architectures to manage AI development.

Ignoring AI risks is not akin to Pascal's wager; the probabilities of severe consequences are real and substantial. We explore how effective regulation, drawing on flexible, principle-based legislation, can balance innovation with safety. Additionally, we examine the double-edged nature of open-source AI: historically beneficial, yet posing significant misuse risks as capabilities grow.

Joining us is Yoshua Bengio, Full Professor at the University of Montreal, Founder and Scientific Director of Mila, and recipient of the 2018 A.M. Turing Award. A pioneering figure in AI and deep learning, Yoshua brings crucial insights to this dialogue on developing comprehensive policies for safe AGI.

For more information about Yoshua Bengio, visit our contributors’ page. To never miss a Reboot Dialogue, if you haven't done so already, subscribe to our newsletter.