A Call to Pause AI Development? Exploring Elon Musk's Open Letter and Its Implications

In this episode, we will be discussing Elon Musk's open letter calling for a pause in AI development. In his letter, Musk urges AI labs and independent experts to come together and establish a set of protocols for AI development to ensure that it is developed safely and responsibly. Throughout the episode, we will examine the potential implications of Musk's open letter and the broader debate around AI safety.

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:16

From my bike to your brain. It's Ryan On a Bike. It's been a big week for marketers. Normally, I'd be focusing in on Google's new core update, which is completed and impacting your SEO rankings as of last week. But today the biggest news on my mind is the call to pause AI research from Elon Musk and his Cosigners, including fake Cosigners.

00:00:21:18 - 00:00:52:13

Love him or hate him, Elon Musk is hard to ignore. Elon ethicists and scientists from around the world are calling for a pause on AI development until proper governance controls can be put into place. In an open letter, Musk wrote. AI Labs and independent experts should use this pause to jointly develop and implement a set of shared safety protocols for advanced AI Design and Development that are rigorously audited and overseen by independent outside experts.

00:00:52:15 - 00:01:28:04

But is this coming from a place of genuine concern? Or is it a classic Musk power play? And is the reason for concern? Let's get into what's happening, what's wrong with it, and a conspiracy theory or two. First off, let's be real. Musk's open letter was not supported by the full list of 1800 scientists and ethicists that supposedly signed both Chinese President Xi and Pang and Chief Scientist John Lee Kun at Meta are among those who are named as supporters but did not actually sign the document.

00:01:28:06 - 00:01:51:19

So let's talk about the serious issues with pausing AI research in the US. It gives less scrupulous governments, particularly China and the Middle East, a six month head start in the race to advance AI technology. And as we all know, six months is a lifetime in the world of modern AI evolution. Now, let's dive into a little conspiracy theory, shall we?

00:01:51:21 - 00:02:17:00

In my opinion, Ellen's decision may be tied to self-interest. He helped launch the company behind Check JP Open AI, which is the current leader in generative AI content. Could that six months be just the time he needs to let his AI catch up to the competition? Wild speculation, of course, but with Elon's track record of unscrupulous power moves, it's certainly plausible.

00:02:17:01 - 00:02:39:10

As a skilled programmer himself and someone with the extreme power necessary to secretly recruit or coerce one or two partners in crime to do the heavy lifting. He could certainly keep his exposure limited. He'd be taking a big risk. But few people in the world take more big risks than Musk. It's why he's practically worshiped by aspiring entrepreneurs.

00:02:39:12 - 00:03:06:15

But let's put all conspiracy theories aside and focus on the real issue at hand. Musk flutter is spot on when it states AI has great promise and great capability. But with that also comes great danger. There are two areas of danger here. First, the so-called robot overlords or exterminators. After all, AI is programed to pursue its objectives without considering the cost.

00:03:06:17 - 00:03:32:17

For the most part, we've all seen those sci fi movies where the goal to create a more peaceful world leads to an AI conclusion that the only path to peace is to eliminate humanity. Scary stuff. And as long as governments and defense contractors are exempt from governance, we can't eliminate that possibility. And how can we possibly hold them accountable when we don't get to see what happens behind the scenes?

00:03:32:19 - 00:03:56:13

But self-directed AI overlords are not what's keeping me up at night in the short term. Rather, it's the second scenario. What I'm worried about is the very real issue of AI being used to divide the world into splinter us versus them groups to bring unethical politicians and the massive corporations backing them into control and to distribute misinformation en masse.

00:03:56:15 - 00:04:31:06

With recent advances in generative AI. We're on the verge of seeing content that isn't just custom to interest groups, but personalized to the individual, 1 to 1 authoring and design of content designed to manipulate people without incredibly nuanced global regulations. We're going to see the information we consume become even more riddled with manipulative, false information, all created with one of two goals to cause us to reinforce our beliefs and click more frequently on content that says exactly what we already believe.

00:04:31:08 - 00:05:00:08

Or to create uncertainty and inaction in regards to critical local and global issues. We understand the first issue easily enough. If you use Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you're already a victim of being bombarded by information that reinforces whatever it is that you already believe. The result is a global breeding pit of us versus them. Polarization. Shutting down the global discourse in favor of closed minded echo chambers.

00:05:00:10 - 00:05:27:21

But what about uncertainty? Putin's global information campaign and his prolonged attack on Ukraine is a great example of how global digital connectivity can facilitate confusion and complacency. Putin's war is partly about creating misinformation, lying in ways that are at least in part, plausible. But when Putin publishes and distributes false information, it's not with the intent of convincing his opponents.

00:05:27:23 - 00:06:02:16

It's much more subtle. His intent is twofold reinforce existing beliefs for his followers and create a small amount of uncertainty for his opposition. Just enough uncertainty to prevent opponents from having the confidence to take decisive action against him. As generative AI continues to gain momentum in its evolution. We are at risk of allowing misinformation campaigns to gain even more traction beyond what tech giants like Google, Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft have already passively condoned and enabled.

00:06:02:18 - 00:06:31:18

And like it or not, marketers are on the front lines. Marketers choices to participate in manipulative campaigns or step aside will, in the short term, make a big difference? If you're a marketer, take your role seriously. You can either support exploitation and the growing rift between people with disparate beliefs, or you can take a stand for integrity and content that informs us and draws us into engaging dialog.

00:06:31:20 - 00:06:57:21

We are on the brink of an information revolution where we each only see content that either reinforces our own beliefs or sows doubt about issues. We might otherwise take a stand on or be open minded to. And marketers bear an outsized responsibility in standing for integrity and honesty in a world where fortunes are made on giving people intentionally false or at least skewed information.

00:06:57:23 - 00:07:21:11

So where does all of this leave us? For now, we need regulations about the use of AI and verifiably false information in general and regardless of Elon's intentions. That's something we need to take a stand for. As for the future of AI, we need to approach it with caution and a clear understanding of the potential consequences. I'm not saying anything new there.

00:07:21:13 - 00:07:50:15

We need to work towards creating a world where AI is used to benefit humanity, not to manipulate and divide us. And for that, we absolutely need regulations that are long overdue. Since well before I really became a big part of all of this information online. It's up to us to draw the line and a proposal to pause AI labs, however flawed, however self-interested, is a step in the right direction.

00:07:50:17 - 00:08:14:08

So let's keep the conversation going and work towards a future where information we consume is consistently true, or at least not verifiably false. Starting with strict global regulations is a good place to start. So I may be skeptical of Elon's motives, but from my perspective, his stated intent is spot on. So what do you think? Would you sign the letter?

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And is Elon's heart in the right place? From my bike to your business and my humanity to yours, I'm Ryan Draving, and I'll see you next time.