Pope's AI Advisor Warns of Cartel Behavior Among Large AI Labs
Father Paolo Benanti, who advises the Catholic Church on AI, expresses concern that major AI labs may be acting as a cartel, controlling the industry's development and rules. He argues that regulation should be public, not dictated by the labs.
Fader Paolo Benanti, an advisor to the Catholic Church on artificial intelligence (AI), has voiced concerns that major AI laboratories may be exhibiting cartel-like behavior by controlling the industry's development and regulations. Benanti argues that the focus on potentially future superintelligent AI distracts from the immediate need for open public debate and democratic oversight.
He emphasizes that AI ethics should not be an internal company matter but rather balanced and debated in the public square. "Ethics cannot be something that belongs to the board of trustees of a company. It’s something that has to be balanced, mitigated in debate in the public square," Benanti told WIRED. He criticizes the tendency of large labs to present problems as so complex that only they can solve them, effectively excluding others from the conversation.
Benanti is skeptical of the doomsday scenarios presented by some AI researchers, seeing clear economic and political motivations behind them. While some labs, like Anthropic, have called for a slowdown in development and mandatory third-party evaluations, Benanti suspects their motives may be to maintain or improve their market position. He warns that when a small group of companies dictates the terms, it clearly indicates cartel behavior.
Furthermore, Benanti questions the quasi-religious reverence for superintelligence within the AI sector. He stresses the importance of understanding that advanced computation is being built, not a divine or supernatural entity. However, Benanti acknowledges that the advent of AI could create a new role for religions in public discourse and help humanity address the challenges of the times.