The pause AI movement is remarkable, but won't work

The open letter calling for an immediate six-month pause in the AI development arms race and signed by more than 1600 tech luminaries, researchers and responsible technology advocates under the umbrella of the Future of Life Institute is stunning on its face. Self-reflection and caution have never been defining qualities of technology sector leaders. Outside of nuclear technology, it's hard to identify another time when so many have publicly rallied to slow the pace of technology development down, much less call for government regulation and intervention. "Advanced AI could represent a profound change in the history of life on Earth and should be planned for and managed with commensurate care and resources," the letter states. "Unfortunately, this level of planning and management is not happening, even though recent months have seen AI labs locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one – not even their creators – can understand, predict, or reliably control. "Therefore, we call on all AI labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than (Open AI's) GPT-4.