He is one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence, but that does not prevent him from observing its development with some anxiety. John Hopfield, an American scientist who has just won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on AI, analyzed, on Tuesday, October 8, the recent technological advances in this field. “very worrying”.
The researcher warned of a possible catastrophe if they are not controlled. Professor emeritus at Princeton University, he called for a better understanding of how these systems work, to prevent them from getting out of control.
Addressing by video from the United Kingdom to a meeting at the University of New Jersey, the 91-year-old researcher said that during his lifetime he had witnessed the emergence of two powerful but potentially dangerous technologies: biological engineering and nuclear physics. “We are used to technologies that are not only good or bad, but can work both ways”declared.
“As a physicist, I am very concerned about something that is not controlled, something that I do not understand enough to know what limits can be placed on this technology”added the Nobel Prize winner. “This is the question AI asks”continuous. Although modern AI systems seem to be “absolute wonders”its operation is still not well understood, which is “very, very worrying” according to him.
“Capabilities beyond what you can imagine”
“That is why I myself, as I believe Geoffrey Hinton [co-lauréat du Nobel], strongly advocate for better understanding” he continued, adding that the domain “Develop skills beyond those you can currently imagine”.
With the meteoric rise of artificial intelligence and the fierce race between companies, critics point out that this technology is evolving faster than scientists can understand.
“It is not known if something spontaneous but unwanted is hidden in the work”noted John Hopfield. He mentioned the example of “ice nine,” an imaginary material invented by science fiction author Kurt Vonnegut in his 1963 book. The cat’s cradle. Developed to help forced soldiers navigate mud, it accidentally causes the oceans to solidify, causing the loss of human civilization.
“I’m worried about anything that says ‘I’m faster than you, I’m bigger than you'”said John Hopfield.
