London, Thanasis Gavos

One of the so-called “godfathers” of artificial intelligence, Mr Canadian Professor Joshua Benziostated in BBC that if he had realized the rate of development of the sector he would have prioritized safety over utility.

The Computer Science professor at the University of Montreal expressed his concern about the direction this technology sector is taking and admitted that he feels “lost” in the environment that is taking shape.

He was talking after statement by leading scientists in the field of artificial intelligencewhich he also co-signed, on the website of the Artificial Intelligence Security Center, which referred to an “existential threat” to humanity.

As Professor Benzio said, his life’s work in artificial intelligence that defined him and gave him a direction is no longer clear in his mind.

“It’s difficult, emotionally speaking, for people who are in the field. You could say I feel lost. But you have to keep talking, talking, encouraging others to think with you,” said the Canadian professor.

He also expressed the opinion that all companies that produce products with strong artificial intelligence should be registered in special registries to be controlled by governments, as is done with companies in the fields of aviation, cars or medicine.

He warned at the same time that he believes that production capabilities should not be assigned to armies artificial intelligence products.

He added that some sort of “ethical training” and certification is also needed for those working in the field.

Finally, he likened the current state of artificial intelligence to climate change. “We’ve put a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It would have been better if we hadn’t done it, but let’s see what we can do now,” he explained, noting that “it’s never too late for improvements.”