Daily Skimm: AI could be posing a threat to humanity.

RAIsing the Alarm

The Story

AI could be posing a threat to humanity.

AI feel like I’ve seen this before.

Let's chat(GPT) about it. Yesterday, experts and leaders in artificial intelligence warned about the technology's potential risks. It’s one of many calls — from hundreds of researchers to Microsoft execs — to regulate the platform. While tech companies are using AI to enhance everything from voice assistants to self-driving cars, AI has also been used for disinformation and phishing attacks. Now, the Center for AI Safety has released a statement signed by more than 350 executives, researchers, and engineers in the AI field. Their message: Reducing AI’s potential “risk of extinction” to humanity should be as much of a “global priority” as pandemics and nuclear war.

That sounds…drastic.

Well, according to the Center for AI Safety, AI systems might be able to create chemical weapons or even destabilize societies with misinformation. Last year, researchers found that AI came up with 40,000 new chemical weapons in six hours. The technology has also raised red flags in the legal world after ChatGPT invented cases in a legal brief, and China used AI to reportedly create a prosecutor machine that can press charges. Other tech experts say the risks of AI are being exaggerated, and that the focus should be on ensuring AI doesn't put people out of work. However, the concerns have done little to stop the AI boom. Nvidia — an AI chipmaker — hit a $1 trillion market valuation for the first time, as people try to cash in on the new tech.

theSkimm

The development of AI technologies has the potential to change our day-to-day lives. Now, many of the creators behind the tech are warning those changes could come with great risks. Whether AI developers or society heed the warning is yet to be determined. 

What’s facing another hurdle…

The debt ceiling plan. Today, the House is expected to vote on President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) deal to suspend the debt ceiling. It comes after a House committee narrowly approved the plan yesterday — despite opposition from reportedly 30 Republican lawmakers. Some members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus say the deal “fails completely” and that they’d try “to stop it.” Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) took things further and said he may call for a vote to strip McCarthy of his speakership. Under the rules, only one House member needs to trigger a vote, and only a simple majority is needed to oust the speaker. However, McCarthy told reporters he’s confident that his role as speaker is secured. As for the debt ceiling deal, McCarthy and Biden can't risk losing too many votes or the government risks defaulting before the June 5 deadline.

Where tensions are rising…

Kosovo. Yesterday, the US penalized the Balkan country for ignoring its calls to de-escalate tensions in the region. The conflict dates back to April, when ethnic Serbs boycotted local elections in predominantly-Serb northern Kosovo — allowing ethnic Albanians to win with a 3.5% turnout. When it came time for the winners to take office, ethnic Serbs tried to block the newly-elected ethnic Albanian mayors. Now, NATO’s deploying an additional 700 troops to Kosovo to calm protests after clashes with ethnic Serbs injured 30 NATO peacekeepers. The US is also stopping Kosovo from participating in a military exercise with other NATO members. Meanwhile, Serbia’s president put the army on full combat alert and sent more units closer to the border.

• Geopolitical tensions: Tensions have been high since 2008 when Kosovo declared independence — something that’s recognized by about 100 countries, but not by Serbia and some of its allies.

What’s letting people go incognito…

Common App. The organization said colleges will soon get the choice to hide students’ race and ethnicity info on applications. The update comes as schools wait to hear the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action. Now, colleges can opt to hide that information starting in August.

Why eloping is starting to look real good…

Over-the-top weddings. 

Who’s back to inventing…

Anna.

Who might be on her way to becoming a WAG…

Megan Thee Stallion.