Another OpenAI Researcher Quit—and Said He’s ‘Pretty Terrified’

Most of us can likely agree that artificial intelligence (AI) has gone a bit too far, and it’s seemingly only getting worse. But hearing experts who’ve spent years working closely with OpenAI admit they’re afraid of its progression? That’s just downright unsettling.

OpenAI safety researcher Steven Adler shared a message on X stating that he decided to quit after four years of working there. While he noted that he would miss many parts of his job, he made it clear that he was feeling scared about the future of AI.

Another OpenAI Safety Researcher Shared His Concerns About AI’s Impact on Humanity

“Honestly I’m pretty terrified by the pace of AI development these days,” he wrote on X. “When I think about where I’ll raise a future family, or how much to save for retirement, I can’t help but wonder: Will humanity even make it to that point?”

Uhhhh…that’s a pretty grim message.

He then labeled artificial general intelligence (AGI) a “very risky gamble, with [a] huge downside.”

“No lab has a solution to AI alignment today,” he explained. “And the faster we race, the less likely that anyone finds one in time.”

“Today, it seems like we’re stuck in a really bad equilibrium,” Adler continued. “Even if a lab truly wants to develop AGI responsibly, others can still cut corners to catch up, maybe disastrously. And this pushes all to speed up. I hope labs can be candid about real safety regs needed to stop this.”

However, given the tone of his messages, he doesn’t seem very hopeful. 

Adler isn’t the first OpenAI researcher to raise concerns about AI’s impact on humanity.

“Even the CEOs who are engaging in the race have stated that whoever wins has a significant probability of causing human extinction in the process because we have no idea how to control systems more intelligent than ourselves,” Stuart Russell, professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, told the Financial Times. 

Well, shit. Should I even bother paying rent?