China's Renewable Energy Revolution Is a Huge Mess That Might Save the World A global onslaught of cheap Chinese green power is upending everything in its path. No one is ready for its repercussions. There's a particular kind of sci-fi nerd who equates fusion tech with utopia. If we could only harness the engine of the stars, it would uncork near limitless energy and neatly sweep away a whole mess of humanity's problems. But how would that work exactly? What would the transition look like?

Emily M. Bender, a Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Washington and the co-author of the first paper the letter cites, tweeted that this open letter is "dripping with #Aihype" and that the letter misuses her research. The letter says, "AI systems with human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity, as shown by extensive research," but Bender counters that her research specifically points to current large language models and their use within oppressive systems--which is much more concrete and pressing than hypothetical future AI.