Yoshua Bengio Launches LawZero for Safer AI
Turing Award winner Yoshua Bengio has launched LawZero, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing safer AI systems. The announcement was made public in an interview with the Financial Times.
LawZero has secured $30 million in philanthropic funding from notable contributors, including Skype founding engineer Jaan Tallinn, former Google chief Eric Schmidt, Open Philanthropy, and the Future of Life Institute. The organization's name, LawZero, draws inspiration from science fiction's Zeroth Law of Robotics, which prioritizes the protection of humanity above all else.
Bengio's Concerns and LawZero's Mission
Bengio, a leading figure in the AI field, has become a prominent advocate for AI safety. He has publicly voiced concerns about the potential risks of unchecked AI development and has even supported legislation like California's SB-1047, aimed at preventing catastrophic AI scenarios. He expressed skepticism about the prioritization of safety by companies like OpenAI and Google in their pursuit of advanced AI.
LawZero aims to address these concerns by focusing on research and development of safer AI systems. The substantial funding will enable the organization to pursue innovative approaches to AI safety and contribute to the growing global conversation around responsible AI development.
Bengio's commitment to AI safety through the launch of LawZero underscores the growing importance of ethical considerations in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.
Learn more about the Zeroth Law of Robotics: Asimov Fandom
Read more about California's AI safety bill SB-1047: TechCrunch Article
Read the Financial Times article (paywalled): Financial Times
