More than a thousand signatories from Steve Wozniak to Yuval Noah Harari have penned an open letter calling on all AI labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4. The experts aren’t calling to deep six AI or to send it six feet under, but merely to temporarily eighty-six advancements to give humanity six degrees of separation from a technology that, according to their sixth sense, could change our lives six ways from Sunday. There were plenty of pauses and concerns in the past, but once ChatGPT and Microsoft went public with their offering and got the attention of Joe Six Pack, the race for dollars was underway. Thus, it seems unlikely key players will hit the pause button. Tech companies within arms reach of cash are like sugar-infused kids at Six Flags, and whether anyone waits a few months or not might be a case of six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Don’t feel like reading the whole letter? I asked ChatGPT to summarize it: The development of AI systems with human-competitive intelligence poses significant risks to society and humanity. It is essential to pause the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4, develop shared safety protocols, and AI governance systems including regulatory authorities, oversight, and tracking of AI systems, auditing and certification ecosystems, liability for AI-caused harm, and public funding for technical AI safety research.

I also asked ChatGPT to offer a rebuttal, and it seemed to offer more of a corroboration: The concerns raised in the argument about the risks of AI systems with human-competitive intelligence are shared by many experts in the field. It is important to carefully consider and address the potential risks and challenges associated with the development of advanced AI systems to ensure their positive impact on society. The proposals to pause the training of AI systems, develop shared safety protocols, and implement AI governance systems are important steps towards achieving this goal.

I sort of cheated on the analysis by using AI. But the six puns were all mine, baby. Humans FTW!