Related Publications [3]

New AI Now Paper Highlights Risks of Commercial AI Used In Military Contexts
Oct 22, 2024

Safety and War: Safety and Security Assurance of Military AI Systems
Jun 25, 2024

The Algorithmically Accelerated Killing Machine
Jan 24, 2024
Related Press [15]
U.S. Military Makes First Confirmed OpenAI Purchase for War-Fighting Forces
“It is extremely alarming that they’re explicit in OpenAI tool use for ‘unified analytics for data processing’ to align with USAFRICOM’s mission objectives,” said Heidy Khlaaf, chief AI scientist at the AI Now Institute, who has previously conducted safety evaluations for OpenAI.
The Intercept
Nov 15, 2024
White House Urges Agencies to Adopt AI for Military, Spy Use
Responding to the new strategy, Sarah Myers West, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute, a policy research center, warned against rushing to adopt the technology across many different domains, arguing for time-tested approaches to ensure safety. She said there’s a risk that in life-and-death decisions, human military operators may defer to the recommendations of AI systems.
Bloomberg
Nov 15, 2024
Researchers sound alarm on dual-use AI for defense
In the paper, published by the AI Now Institute, authors Heidy Khlaaf, Sarah Myers West, and Meredith Whittaker point out the growing interest in commercial AI models—sometimes called foundation models—for military purposes, particularly for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. They argue that while concerns around AI’s potential for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons dominate the conversation, big commercial foundation models already pose underappreciated risks to civilians.
Defense One
Nov 15, 2024
The AI industry is pushing a nuclear power revival — partly to fuel itself
“I want to see innovation in this country,” Myers West said. “I just want the scope of innovation to be determined beyond the incentive structures of these giant companies.”
NBC News
Nov 15, 2024
The AI industry is pushing a nuclear power revival — partly to fuel itself
“If you were to integrate large language models, GPT-style models into search engines, it’s going to cost five times as much environmentally as standard search,” said Sarah Myers West, managing director of the AI Now Institute, a research group focused on the social impacts of AI. At current growth rates, some new AI servers could soon gobble up more than 85 terawatt hours of electricity each year, researchers have estimated — more than some small nations’ annual energy consumption.
NBC News
Mar 7, 2024
OpenAI quietly deletes ban on using ChatGPT for “military and warfare”
“Given the use of AI systems in the targeting of civilians in Gaza, it’s a notable moment to make the decision to remove the words ‘military and warfare’ from OpenAI’s permissible use policy,” said Sarah Myers West, managing director of the AI Now Institute and a former AI policy analyst at the Federal Trade Commission.
The Intercept
Jan 12, 2024
What the OpenAI drama means for AI progress — and safety
“The push to retain dominance is leading to toxic competition. It’s a race to the bottom,” says Sarah Myers West, managing director of the AI Now Institute, a policy-research organization based in New York City.
Nature
Nov 23, 2023
The AI safety summit, and its critics
Amba Kak of the AI Now Institute, one of the few representatives of civil society at last week’s summit, said at the event’s conclusion that “we are at risk of further entrenching the dominance of a handful of private actors over our economy and our social institutions.”
Politico
Nov 8, 2023
Global leaders commit to pre-deployment AI safety testing
bal leaders commit to pre-deployment AI safety testing AI Now Institute executive director Amba Kak, one of three civil society representatives at the summit table, praised pre-deployment testing commitments, but warned, "We are at risk of further entrenching the dominance of a handful of private actors over our economy and our social institutions."
Axios
Nov 3, 2023
Global leaders commit to pre-deployment AI safety testing
AI Now Institute executive director Amba Kak, one of three civil society representatives at the summit table, praised pre-deployment testing commitments, but warned, "We are at risk of further entrenching the dominance of a handful of private actors over our economy and our social institutions."
Axios
Nov 3, 2023
U.K.’s AI Safety Summit Ends With Limited, but Meaningful, Progress
“There has been a complete industry capture of this conversation, and in many ways this summit reflects that,” says Amba Kak, the executive director of the AI Now Institute, a research group.
Time
Nov 2, 2023
U.K.’s AI Safety Summit Ends With Limited, but Meaningful, Progress
“There has been a complete industry capture of this conversation, and in many ways this summit reflects that,” says Amba Kak, the executive director of the AI Now Institute, a research group. “The context to all of this is that we’re seeing a further concentration of power in the tech industry and, within that, a handful of actors. And if we let industry set the tone on AI policy, it’s not enough to say we want regulation—because we’re going to see regulation that further entrenches industry interests.”
Time
Nov 2, 2023
Stop talking about tomorrow’s AI doomsday when AI poses risks today
Letters written by tech-industry leaders are “essentially drawing boundaries around who counts as an expert in this conversation”, says Amba Kak, director of the AI Now Institute in New York City, which focuses on the social consequences of AI.
Nature
Jun 27, 2023
The AI apocalypse: Imminent risk or misdirection?
Discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) have quickly turned from the excited to the apocalyptic. Are warnings that AI could pose an existential threat valid, or do they distract from the real danger AI is already causing?
Al Jazeera
Jun 10, 2023
Does artificial intelligence pose the risk of human extinction?
Tech industry leaders issue a warning as governments consider how to regulate AI without stifling innovation.
Al Jazeera
Jun 1, 2023