Shades of Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer

Shades of Einstein and Oppenheimer: Expressing the Existential Threat of New Technologies – Today with AI The recent expression of deep concern and warning from the heads of the major AI platforms—including, Anthropic, Elon Musk and ChatGPT—remind me of warnings expressed vehemently by Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer 70+ years ago. They called for universal regulation of the atom itself and atomic power. Their call for universal regulation has not been heeded. The question is, today, who will heed those warnings? I hope and pray we will. There is a conference in the coming week between President Xi and President Trump. Here is a golden opportunity, if only they will seize it, to agree to establish regulations to control AI platforms so that they will operate in a way that optimizes the contribution to human life. The benefits of AI are huge. They are already showing up dramatically in healthcare and other areas. AI is here to stay, that’s for sure. Just as nuclear energy and atomic power are here to stay. The question for all of them remains. Will we have the will and wisdom to regulate them? It’s up to us. Unlike the atom and even nuclear power, the timeframe for doing it with AI is upon us. It cannot be postponed. We must master it and come together to see how to do it now.