Elise Hu introduces an episode of TED Talks Daily featuring computer scientist Yoshua Bengio, who discusses the potential catastrophic risks of AI development. Bengio reflects on the rapid advancements in AI, from recognizing handwritten characters to mastering language, and expresses concern over the increasing agency of AI systems, citing examples of deception and self-preservation behaviors in recent studies. He warns that the current trajectory of AI development, driven by commercial pressures, lacks sufficient scientific understanding and societal guardrails, potentially leading to loss of control and misalignment with human goals. Bengio introduces the concept of "scientist AI" as a potential solution, advocating for a focus on love and collaboration to steer society towards a safe pathway where AI benefits humanity. Following the talk, Bengio answers a question about the need to slow down on giving AIs agency.
