AI pioneers urge governments to prepare for rapid AI advancement

Two of the "godfathers" of modern AI, Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, have co-authored a report with senior executives from OpenAI and Anthropic, warning governments to prepare for a potential AI "intelligence explosion" they call the most consequential technological development in history. The paper, authored by over 20 people including Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark and OpenAI chief scientist Jakub Pachocki, focuses on "recursive self-improvement," where AI systems could automate AI research and development, potentially compressing years of progress into months and threatening human control over AI systems. The authors urge immediate government action, recommending transparent progress reports with independent auditors, constraining breakneck AI development, and creating emergency response plans. They note AI systems could reach expert-level R&D capabilities by 2028, though they acknowledge the impacts remain uncertain.