CEOs divided over AI’s potential threat to humanity
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES — A recent Yale CEO Summit survey uncovers a stark divide among business leaders regarding the potential threat of artificial intelligence (AI) to humanity.
Of the 119 attendees — including CEOs from sectors like IT, pharmaceutical, media, and manufacturing — 42% voiced fears that AI could lead to human destruction within the next five to ten years.
The survey’s findings, described as “dark and alarming” by Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, emerged from a virtual event featuring CEOs from major companies such as Walmart and Coca-Cola.
Opinions drastically varied, with 34% of CEOs predicting human extinction from AI within a decade, 8% in five years, and 58% dismissing these scenarios altogether.
Interestingly, when asked if AI’s catastrophic potential was overstated, the CEOs remained split: 42% agreed, while 58% disagreed.
This study follows a recent statement signed by AI industry leaders, academics, and others, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and “godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton, warning of AI’s potential for causing an “extinction” risk and urging preventative measures to mitigate the dangers.
