Google's Hassabis explains shift on military use of AI
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While Google has changed its position to allow greater military use of its AI technology, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis tells Axios the company will tread carefully.
- "The benefits have to substantially outweigh the risks of harm," Hassabis said as part of a wide-ranging interview this week on the sidelines of the AI Action Summit in Paris.
Driving the news: Google recently altered its AI principles to remove a section that prohibited military use.
- "Our values and our intent has not changed," Hassabis said. "We're the same people who we were yesterday."
What has changed, he said, is that large language models are now widely available rather than just in the hands of companies like Google and OpenAI.
- "Things are very different today than they were 8 to 10 years ago," he said. "There are tons of models available now — Chinese models, Western models, open source models, proprietary models. A lot of that is commoditized now."
- Also, he said, the geopolitics have shifted. "Western democratic values are under threat," Hassabis said. "We're duty bound to be able to help where we are uniquely suited and capable of helping."
- Specifically, Hassabis said that Google could play a role in helping ensure better defenses against AI-enabled cyber and biological attacks. "I think there are possibilities if research is done to accelerate defensive capabilities, sort of asymmetrically ahead of offensive capabilities."
Yes, but: Hassabis said he remains opposed to the notion of automated warfare.
- "I've been on record saying I don't think we should have lethal autonomous weapons, but some countries are building them," he said. "That's just a reality."
The bottom line: Hassabis said Google's policies remain committed to following international law and ensuring risks aren't taken lightly when Google engages in military-related applications.
- "I'm very comfortable we have the right setup and the right committees and things and the right people actually in senior positions to thoughtfully think those tricky tradeoffs through," he said.
