A few secretive AI companies could crush free society, researchers warn

What happens when AI automates R&D and starts to run amok? An intelligence explosion, power accumulation, disruption of democratic institutions, and more, according to these researchers.

Most of the research surrounding the risks to society of artificial intelligence tends to focus on malicious human actors using the technology for nefarious purposes, such as holding companies for ransom or nation-states conducting cyber-warfare.

A new report from the security research firm Apollo Group suggests a different kind of risk may be lurking where few look: inside the companies developing the most advanced AI models, such as OpenAI and Google.

Disproportionate power

The risk is that companies at the forefront of AI may use their AI creations to accelerate their research and development efforts by automating tasks typically performed by human scientists. In doing so, they could set in motion the ability for AI to circumvent guardrails and carry ...