Why Halt AI Research When We Already Know How To Make It Safer

Last week, the Future of Life Institute published an open letter proposing a six-month moratorium on the "dangerous" AI race. It has since been signed by over 3,000 people, including some influential members of the AI community. But while it is good that the risks of AI systems are gathering visibility within the community and across society, both the issues described and the actions proposed in the letter are unrealistic and unnecessary. The call for a pause on AI work is not only vague, but also unfeasible. While the training of large language models by for-profit companies gets most of the attention, it is far from the only type of AI work taking place.