DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Artificial intelligence is easily the biggest buzzword for world leaders and corporate bosses diving into big ideas at the World Economic Forum’s glitzy annual meeting in Davos. Breathtaking advances in generative AI stunned the world last year, and the elite crowd is angling to take advantage of its promise and minimize its risks.

OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, made his first appearance at the Davos conference, where he was met with enthusiastic crowds and accompanied by Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella. This demonstrates ChatGPT maker OpenAI’s increasing prominence in the industry.

Demonstrating the geopolitical significance of AI in a way that few other technologies have, the term was uttered by leaders from China to France. It was prominently featured in the Swiss Alpine town and made its way into afterparties.

Take a peek at the excitement:

The controversy surrounding the top executives at the renowned artificial intelligence chatbot company shifted to Altman and Nadella’s presence at a luxurious Swiss ski resort.

Last year, Altman’s abrupt termination and quick rehiring solidified his role as the forefront figure of the generative AI movement. However, concerns surrounding the conflict within the boardroom and OpenAI’s management still remain. In an interview with Bloomberg, he stated his priority of assembling a strong board and avoided delving into further inquiries.

During a Davos discussion on the relationship between technology and humanity, a question was posed to Altman about what he had gleaned from the recent turmoil.

“We were aware that our board was undersized and lacked the necessary level of expertise,” stated Altman. “However, last year was tumultuous in many respects, causing us to overlook this issue.”

According to Altman, as artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, it also increases the potential for people to behave irrationally, causing added stress. This is a significant concern as we must act responsibly in dealing with such high stakes.

Top officials from China and Europe have expressed their stances on AI, as the global community works towards regulating this fast-evolving technology that has significant impacts on areas such as the workplace, elections, and privacy.

The European Union has created the first set of regulations for AI, in preparation for a busy election year. The World Economic Forum released a report last week stating that AI-driven misinformation and disinformation pose the greatest threat to the global economy, as it can harm democracy and divide society.

Chinese leader Li Qiang referred to AI as a “two-sided weapon.”

During his speech on Tuesday, he emphasized the importance of humans controlling machines rather than the other way around.

Li stated that AI should be directed towards the betterment of humanity and that there needs to be a limit, or “red line”, in its development that should not be exceeded. He did not provide further explanation.

Li stated that China, a major hub for AI advancement, aims to enhance communication and collaboration with other entities in order to enhance global governance of AI.

China has recently published provisional guidelines for overseeing generative artificial intelligence. However, the European Union made a significant move with its AI Act, which successfully negotiated a political agreement last month and is currently pending final approval.

According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, utilizing AI in a responsible manner presents a significant opportunity.

She stated that the competition to create and implement AI technology is already underway, and highlighted the initiatives of the European Union- such as the AI Act and a program that connects supercomputers with small and medium-sized businesses to train advanced AI models.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he’s a “strong believer” in AI and that his country is “an attractive and competitive country” for the industry. He played up France’s role in helping coordinate regulation on deepfake images and videos created with AI as well as plans to host a follow-up summit on AI safety after an inaugural gathering in Britain in November.

The initials “AI” were everywhere on the Davos Promenade, where consulting companies and technology powerhouses are among the organizations that gather on the main street every year, leasing storefronts and transforming them into impressive exhibition spaces.

The main conference center featured a large digital wall that displayed moving images of AI art and computer-generated representations of wildlife and nature, such as colorful birds and lush streams.

Attendees at Davos who were interested in learning more about the intricacies of artificial intelligence had the option to attend sessions at the AI House.

Advanced AI systems such as ChatGPT and Google’s Bard have captured global attention with their ability to quickly produce original poems, images, and code. They are predicted to greatly influence both daily life and professional work.

According to Nadella, the CEO of the company implementing the technology into its products, this advancement has the potential to revitalize the struggling global economy.

The CEO of Microsoft expressed his strong belief in the potential of AI as a versatile technology that can stimulate economic development.

Business experts forecasted that AI would aid in the automation of tedious work duties or simplify the completion of complex tasks for individuals. However, they also cautioned that it could pose a threat to employees who are unable to adapt.

According to a report by PwC, which surveyed over 4,700 CEOs from 100+ countries and was released during the Davos meetings, 14% of them believe they will have to downsize their workforce due to the increasing use of generative AI.

Julie Sweet, CEO of the consulting firm Accenture, stated that AI will have an impact on every industry and area.

According to IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, for those who are adaptable, AI has the potential to revolutionize tasks such as computer programming and customer interactions, as well as make business processes like invoicing more efficient.

According to him, embracing AI will increase productivity while not doing so may result in job loss.

In a session with Yann LeCun, the chief AI scientist at Meta, discussions about potential dangers and regulations led to the moderator presenting a hypothetical scenario involving “endlessly conversational sexbots” that could be developed by anyone utilizing open source technology.

In response, LeCun stated that in order to effectively serve people from diverse backgrounds with various languages, cultures, and values, AI cannot be controlled solely by a select few Silicon Valley tech companies.

He stated that it would be undesirable for a few private companies to have control over this.

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Chan provided coverage from London, while Matt O’Brien, a technology writer for AP, contributed from Providence, Rhode Island.

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The article has been updated to reflect that the U.K. summit on AI safety took place in November instead of October.

Source: wral.com