PauseAI Oxford x Pull the Plug: A better plan for AI development

​We are fortunate to be joined by Jess Rapson, Director of the Algorithmic Governance Foundation, and senior researcher at the G7 research group.

​Jess will talk about two contrasting faces of AI: the big risks of economic disempowerment if big tech companies automate away most jobs, but also potential benefits when AI is deployed carefully in specific areas like improving humanitarian assistance.

​Jess has built a CNN model to detect and count refugee tents in the Gaza Strip to quantify the humanitarian impacts of the war and better distribute aid to displaced populations. She also wrote a paper for the G7 about economic risks of general AI models including consolidation of tech monopolies and the lack of liability for AI-enabled harms.

​​Superhuman general AI is a threat to our jobs and lives. We believe that the development of general AI systems should be paused until we know how to do it safely and equitably. But narrow, specialised AI can be extremely useful and beneficial, without the same risks. Jess’s work highlights the huge economic risks if we inadequately control how AI is deployed, but also shows us a better path for AI development.