The problems with a moratorium on training large AI systems

In late March, the Future of Life Institute released an open letter (and a related FAQ) calling "on all AI labs to immediately pause for at least six months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4. This pause should be public and verifiable, and include all key actors. If such a pause cannot be enacted quickly, governments should step in and institute a moratorium." The letter, which also stated that "Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable," was initially signed by over a thousand people, including many notable technology leaders. Many thousands more added their signatures after its publication.