The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenis being accused of uncritically replicating the hype that exaggerates the capabilities of the artificial intelligence.
More than 70 academics, engineers and computer scientists from around the world have published an open letter this week in which they denounce that the visible face of European Union is playing into the hands of the technological giants that are behind IA as popular as ChatGPTof OpenAI; Geminiof Googleo Grokof xAIproperty of Elon Musk.
The controversy started months ago. “We thought that AI would only come close to human reasoning around 2050. Now we expect this to happen as early as next year,” Von der Leyen said at the annual budget conference of the EU. UE held in May.
His words echo a promise reiterated since Silicon Valleymecca of the American technology industry. However, there are no indications that this hypothetical superintelligence may be possible in the future and even less that it will be possible next year. Critics warn that behind these “unscientific marketing claims” there is a business strategy to attract more and more investments and concentrate greater power.
“By promoting enthusiasm for AI in the middle of a dangerous bubble, the European Commission runs the risk of proposing harmful policies, wasting public funds and being complicit in the harm caused by AI,” denounced Kris Shrishak, researcher at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and promoter of the open letter. They also sign it Abeba Birhane y Virginia Worthytheoretical computer scientists and advisors of the HIM.
“The scientific development of any potentially useful AI is not helped by the amplification of those of American technology companies”
Using ChatGPT?
Questioned by a group of scientists, the Commission assured that Von der Leyen’s words about an alleged AI with human-like cognition were based on “documentary analysis of scientific literature.” That is, in the statements of managers such as Sam Altmanexecutive director of OpenAIo Jensen Huangof Nvidia; both interested party.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has also accused Brussels to use ChatGPT in public documents. And in the response it sent to your questions, the Commission attached links to those public statements that have been generated from the chatbot of generative AI. This civil rights organization argues that, by using probabilistic systems that can generate erroneous responses, the Community Executive could be violating its obligation to provide accurate information to citizens.
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