US Right-wing Media Leaders And Technological Pioneers Call For Super Intelligence AI Development Ban

A number of right-wing American media figures, including Steve Bannon and Glenn Beck, along with world tech pioneers such as Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, signed calls to ban the development of super-intelligent artificial intelligence (AI) to the public demanding it and science found a safe way to proceed.

The call was initiated by the nonprofit Future of Life Institute (FLI), which for more than a decade has warned of the existential risk that intelligent machines can pose to humanity. The FLI was previously also known for being once supported by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and technology investor Jaan Tallinn when it was founded in 2014.

In that statement, the group stressed the need for a global moratorium on the development of high-level AI so that there are scientific regulations and understandings that are able to ensure the security of the system for mankind.

However, many parties in the US tech industry and government oppose the idea. They argue that such concerns are baseless and have the potential to hinder innovation and economic growth.

Interestingly, the support from conservative figures like Bannon reflects the emergence of new concerns about AI among right-handed populists, especially at a time when a number of figures with Silicon Valley backgrounds are now holding an important position in President Donald Trump's administration.

In addition to these big names, the statement was also signed by Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple; Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland; and Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group.

The move shows that concerns about AI have now crossed the ideological limit bringing scientists, technologists and conservative politicians together in one vote: that the future of humans may need to be reconsidered before machines think beyond us.