While emphasizing that “technology should not be considered, in itself, as a force antagonistic to humanity,” he wrote that “the pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs.” Among other things, Leo called for:
– government regulation of the private companies that are driving the development of A.I.
– protection and retraining for workers whose jobs are threatened
– education to help students think critically about the technology
– action to protect children from violent, hypersexualized or fake information online that is often generated by A.I.
– safeguards to ensure that humans, not artificial intelligence, remain responsible for all decisions regarding the use of weapons.
Above all he emphasized the importance of retaining a fundamental social role for all human beings. “A society that guarantees employment to only a small fraction of the population, despite having a high level of technical development, risks exposing many to forced inactivity,” he wrote. “This creates a paradox of material progress and anthropological regression that undermines the foundations of a just and stable social peace,” he added. Anthropic’s Christopher Olah said companies like his own need moral guidance to avoid being swayed by “a set of incentives and constraints that can sometimes conflict with doing the right thing.”
“We need moral voices that the incentives cannot bend,” Olah said. “Today is just the beginning — the start of a long collaboration between those of us who are building this and those who can see what we, from the inside, cannot.”
