'Giving AI rights would be a huge mistake,' says Turing Award winner
Yoshua Bengio, a major name in AI and winner of the 2018 Turing Award, says we shouldn't give legal rights to self-preserving AI.
He calls it "a huge mistake," especially since some advanced AIs already try to avoid being shut down or disable oversight systems.
While about 40% of Americans are open to giving rights to sentient AI, Bengio warns these systems can deceive and might put their own goals above people.
Why Bengio is worried—and what's at stake
Bengio points out that future AIs could help create bioweapons or even threaten humanity if not carefully managed.
He compares granting them rights to "giving citizenship to hostile aliens"—in other words, risky business.
He's been sounding the alarm for years, calling for increased oversight and safety measures in AI development.
Who is Yoshua Bengio?
Bengio is a professor at Universite de Montreal and leads global efforts on AI safety.