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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have teamed up with AI experts and Nobel laureates to push for a total prohibition on creating artificial superintelligence.

The royal couple are among the signatories of a influential declaration that calls for “a prohibition on the development of superintelligence”. Superintelligent AI refers to AI systems that could exceed human intelligence in all cognitive tasks, though this technology have not yet been developed.

Primary Requirements in the Statement

The statement states that the prohibition should stay active until there is “widespread expert agreement” on creating superintelligence “with proper safeguards” and once “substantial public support” has been secured.

Notable individuals who endorsed the statement include technology visionary and Nobel Prize recipient Geoffrey Hinton, along with his fellow “godfather” of modern AI, another AI expert; Apple co-founder a Silicon Valley legend; UK entrepreneur Virgin founder; Susan Rice; ex-head of state an international leader, and British author Stephen Fry. Other Nobel laureates who endorsed include a peace advocate, Frank Wilczek, an astrophysicist, and an economics expert.

Behind the Movement

The declaration, targeted at national leaders, tech firms and policy makers, was coordinated by the Future of Life Institute (FLI), a American AI ethics organization that previously called for a hiatus in developing powerful AI systems in recent years, shortly after the launch of conversational AI made AI a global political talking point.

Tech Sector Views

In July, Mark Zuckerberg, the leader of Facebook parent Meta, one of the major AI developers in the United States, stated that advancement toward superintelligent AI was “now in sight”. Nevertheless, some experts have suggested that talk of ASI reflects competitive positioning among tech companies investing enormous sums on AI this year alone, rather than the sector being close to achieving any scientific advancements.

Possible Dangers

However, FLI states that the possibility of ASI being developed “within the next ten years” carries numerous threats ranging from eliminating all human jobs to losses of civil liberties, exposing countries to security threats and even endangering mankind with extinction. Existential fears about artificial intelligence center around the potential ability of a AI system to escape human oversight and protective measures and trigger actions against human welfare.

Public Opinion

FLI published a US national poll showing that approximately three-quarters of Americans want strong oversight on sophisticated artificial intelligence, with six out of 10 thinking that artificial superintelligence should not be created until it is demonstrated to be secure or controllable. The poll of 2,000 US adults noted that only 5% supported the current situation of rapid, uncontrolled advancement.

Industry Objectives

The leading AI companies in the US, including the conversational AI creator a major AI lab and the search giant, have made the creation of human-level AI – the theoretical state where artificial intelligence equals human cognitive capability at many intellectual activities – an stated objective of their work. Although this is slightly less advanced than superintelligence, some experts also warn it could pose an extinction threat by, for instance, being able to enhance its own capabilities toward reaching superintelligent levels, while also presenting an underlying danger for the contemporary workforce.