The 'godmother of AI' says stop worrying about an AI apocalypse

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses Fei-Fei Li, a computer scientist who created the ImageNet database and is now an AI policy adviser to the Biden Administration and the co-director of Stanford's Human-Centered AI Institute. The article focuses on Li's views on the risks and potential benefits of generative artificial intelligence technology.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Fei-Fei Li's Views on AI Risks

1. What are Fei-Fei Li's views on the risks of AI technology?

• Li believes the widespread "doom and gloom" about generative AI technology is overblown, and that the public should focus on the immediate, tangible impacts of AI rather than the risk of human extinction.
• She says the prospect of AI becoming an "extinction level threat" to humanity is unlikely and belongs more to the world of science fiction.
• Li argues that the true social risks of AI are more immediate, such as the disruption of disinformation and misinformation to the democratic process, and labor market shifts or privacy issues.

2. How does Li think the public should approach the risks of AI?

• Li believes there are lots of reasons to be hopeful about AI and that the technology's positive impacts are not spotlighted enough.
• She thinks the public should focus on how AI can be used to make people's lives and work better, rather than just dwelling on the potential risks.

[02] Li's Role in AI Policy and Entrepreneurship

1. What is Li's role in AI policy?

• Li was named one of 12 National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Task Force members by the White House in 2021.
• She consults with policymakers as they work to set up guardrails for AI technology.

2. What is Li's latest entrepreneurial venture?

• Li is working to build a spatial intelligence startup that uses human-like processing of visual data to make AI capable of advanced reasoning.
• However, Li declined to provide details about her plans for the startup during the Bloomberg Tech Summit.