Why They’re Worried
Examining Experts’ Motivations for Signing the ‘Pause Letter’
May 2023
Isabella Struckman & Sofie Kupiec
istruck@mit.edu, skupiec@mit.edu
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
This paper presents perspectives on the state of AI, as held by a sample of experts. These experts were early signatories of the Future of Life’s recent open letter, which calls for a pause on advanced AI development. Utmost effort was put into accurately representing interviewees’ perspectives, and they have all read and approved of their representation. However, no paper could offer a perfect portrayal of their position.
We feel confident in what opinions we do put forward, but we do not hold them tightly. In such dynamic times, we feel that no one should be resolved in their expectations for AI and its future.
Disclaimer:
This paper was written for Alfred Spector’s MIT Spring 2023 course 6.S963 Beyond Models – Applying Data Science/AI Effectively. It has not been peer reviewed, and its content does not necessarily reflect the instructor or the authors’ views.