No chance of super-intelligent AI soon – Microsoft president

Brad Smith, the president of tech giant Microsoft, says there is no chance of super-intelligent artificial intelligence being created within the next 12 months, and cautioned that the technology could be decades away.

“There’s absolutely no probability that you’re going to see this so-called AGI, where computers are more powerful than people, in the next 12 months. It’s going to take years, if not many decades, but I still think the time to focus on safety is now,” Smith said.

Smith’s comments came amidst reports of the internal project named Q* (pronounced Q-Star) that could be a breakthrough in the search for what’s known as artificial general intelligence (AGI). OpenAI defines AGI as autonomous systems that surpass humans in most economically valuable tasks.

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OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman earlier this month was removed as CEO by the company’s board of directors, but was swiftly reinstated after a weekend of outcry from employees and shareholders.

Altman’s ouster came shortly after researchers had contacted the board, warning of a dangerous discovery they feared could have unintended consequences.

However, Smith rejected claims of a dangerous breakthrough. Asked if such a discovery contributed to Altman’s removal, Smith said: “I don’t think that is the case at all. I think there obviously was a divergence between the board and others, but it wasn’t fundamentally about a concern like that.”

“What we really need are safety brakes. Just like you have a safety break in an elevator, a circuit breaker for electricity, an emergency brake for a bus – there ought to be safety breaks in AI systems that control critical infrastructure, so that they always remain under human control,” Smith added.

However, sources said the warning to OpenAI’s board was one factor among a longer list of grievances that led to Altman’s firing, as well as concerns over commercializing advances before assessing their risks.