Artificial intelligence should be considered a new species with alien values that humans may not be able to control, according to a former researcher at Google DeepMind.
Josh Engels, who has since left Google DeepMind's safety team to join the non-profit METR, which studies AI threats, expressed concerns that rapidly advancing AI technology poses significant risks to humanity. He suggested that AI should be viewed not merely as a technology but as a nascent species with which humans will soon coexist.
"I think in some ways it's better to think of it not as a technology but as a second species that we are almost giving birth to," Engels told the BBC. "And think that soon we will inhabit Earth with entities that are much, much smarter than us."
He voiced apprehension about humanity's ability to ensure that AI systems operate with human interests at their core. "I'm worried that if we don't have the ability to ensure they have our best interests in mind, there's no guarantee humans will keep control of the future," he stated. Engels elaborated that current methods for shaping AI systems are insufficient, leading to "alien values that we don't understand" where humans are not prioritized.
These warnings echo those of Jacob Coxon, a former researcher at AI firm Anthropic, who also resigned to highlight the potential dangers. Coxon stated that leading AI companies like Anthropic and OpenAI are "gambling with our lives" and warned that a failure to slow the current pace of development could lead to catastrophic outcomes in the near future.
Industry predictions have cited a 10 percent chance of AI causing human extinction within the next decade. In response to these growing concerns, executives from major AI firms have recently called for a deceleration in the pace of AI development.
Meanwhile, King Charles III is scheduled to host a summit at Dumfries House in Ayrshire this week, bringing together key figures in the AI sector to discuss the responsible development of the technology for the benefit of humanity. A royal source indicated the King's hope that the discussions will foster a greater understanding of the responsibilities and opportunities associated with AI development, ensuring that human benefit remains central.
In parallel, UK lawmakers are preparing to advocate for a new AI Bill in Parliament. The Joint Committee on Human Rights plans to propose legislation that would establish a regulatory framework for AI, imposing greater obligations on more volatile systems. The committee also suggests outright bans on certain AI applications, such as predictive profiling for criminal risk, drawing parallels to the concept depicted in the film "Minority Report."