Debate on Safety of AI: Sam Altman Responds to Oxford University Student’s Protests

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was caught up in a debate with an Oxford University student over the safety of artificial general intelligence at a business society event in the UK last month. Altman was confronted by a group of protestors who held signs calling for the AGI suicide race to be halted. The conversation centered on the risk that AGI poses to humanity, with Altman agreeing that it is potentially dangerous, but adding that such technology must evolve if scientists are to build better AI and understand how it works. Last month, leading figures in the AI community, including Altman, signed a statement warning that AGI has risks comparable to nuclear war or a pandemic. A Goldman Sachs report has also suggested that 300 million jobs could be impacted by AI.