AI Safety Advocates Warn Startup Founders
Three AI safety advocates emphasized the importance of moving cautiously in the development of AI technologies during a panel at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. Sarah Myers West, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute, expressed concerns about the rush to release products without considering the long-term ethical implications.
High Stakes of AI Development
The conversation around AI safety has intensified, especially following a lawsuit against chatbot company Character.AI for its alleged role in a child’s suicide. According to Myers West, the rapid deployment of AI technologies has raised critical issues such as content moderation and online abuse.
Jingna Zhang, founder of Cara, highlighted the power of AI to impact people’s lives. She emphasized the need for guardrails to regulate the development of emotionally engaging products like Character.AI. Zhang also raised concerns about the use of artists’ work in training AI models without proper licensing, affecting their livelihood.
Aleksandra Pedraszewska, head of safety at ElevenLabs, discussed the challenges of preventing nonconsensual deepfakes using AI voice cloning technology. She stressed the importance of red-teaming models and understanding potential undesirable consequences of AI launches to protect users.
