The Unassuming Economist

From an article by Daron Acemoglu:

“Artificial intelligence is reshaping the world in front of our eyes. The concerns around AI, however, extend beyond the uncertainty and disruption that accompany any other radical technological change. They stem in part from the direction AI development has taken: many leading companies are engaged in a single-minded pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI).

AGI is generally understood as an AI system that can match or exceed human capabilities on most economically valuable tasks. In such a world, the automation of work would not be limited to specific industries or routine jobs. Instead, machines would take over many forms of work, including highly skilled professions. The consequences of this displacement of human labour would be unparalleled.

To draw attention to this urgent public-policy challenge, I joined thousands of economists and AI researchers in signing We Must Act Now, a statement urging policymakers and technology leaders to steer AI towards complementing, rather than replacing, human labour.”

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