An expert and entrepreneur in the field of artificial intelligence warned that while the new technology has the potential for many benefits, it could also prove to be “too powerful and disruptive” for humanity, expressing skepticism about the federal government’s ability to address such a challenge.
Kevin Baragona worked as a software engineer but recognized the potential impact of AI, which led him to start DeepAI in 2016 to help bring the new technology to fruition. The free online service is growing rapidly, with users increasing tenfold in the past year.
DeepAI is the first company to offer an online AI text-to-image generator, which allows users to enter a description of the image they want to create, select a theme and receive a custom image. to download.
The platform also provides many other services, such as AI chatbot, image editor, and other AI-generated content. Baragona says his goal is to simplify access to AI technology for a wider population and make AI accessible even to those without computers. DeepAI hosts an extensive collection of research papers and an AI Glossary aimed at explaining AI to users of all experience levels.
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“DeepAI enhances people’s creativity,” Baragona told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “AI gives people a creativity boost. More than that, we can use it to create happiness in people’s minds, like our image generator.”
Baragona describes a vision of AI that enhances human activity rather than overtakes it, with advanced technology serving as an augmentation or supplement. Such a role, he explained, is the ideal scenario for the future of AI. However, Baragona is quick to add that people should be concerned.
“On the one hand, AI is a unique technology like the smartphone or the internet that can make us richer, more creative, more powerful,” said Baragona. “On the other hand, AI can be too powerful and too disruptive. Now we’re at a point where AI is as good as humans in a whole bunch of areas, or at least rapidly approaching it.”
Baragona explained that almost all areas of work – from journalism, to law, to fine art – are affected by the rise of AI, all at the same time, outlining three major risks that could have major implications for society: widespread social disruption, potentially massive job losses, and the prospect of making computers smarter than humans.
A specific example he cited is the distrust of what one sees online due to AI, which can be a weapon to manipulate information and advance a particular ideology.
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“AI often reflects the values of those who create it,” Baragona said. “ChatGPT is too popular to be trusted.”
“I describe myself as a little bit conflicted,” he added. “I love AI as a technology, what it can do for people. But we can’t ignore the possible downsides. In many ways, it’s like opening Pandora’s Box.”
Baragona said regulation could play a role in mitigating risk but did not express optimism in policymakers’ ability to meet the challenge. When asked if he had confidence in Washington addressing the issues raised by AI, he replied, “Well, they put Kamala Harris in office, so not really.”
The White House earlier last month named Vice President Harris the “AI czar” to lead the Biden administration’s new initiative “to promote responsible AI innovation that protects the rights and safety of Americans.”
Harris’ appointment was met with widespread skepticism, with many voices questioning his ability to handle the role of AI czar. Twitter owner Elon Musk recently mocked the appointment, tweeting: “Maybe someone who can fix their own WiFi router isn’t asking too much.”
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Harris has been similarly criticized for his role as the administration’s “border czar” over the ongoing crisis of massive illegal crossings across the southern border from Mexico into the US
The White House did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Despite his skepticism about Harris, however, Baragona argues that no one — including AI experts — has any idea what’s coming.
“It’s a tidal wave even for insiders,” he said. “I wouldn’t say the insiders are better prepared. We’re all in the same boat together.”
DeepAi continues to build its service, working on “better and better” versions of what it already has and also developing video games that use AI technology, according to Baragona.
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Ultimately, he argues, people must take responsibility for educating themselves about AI to prepare for the future.
“The message I want people to hear is that they need to educate themselves about what AI can already do and what AI can do in the future so that we can hopefully adapt this technology successfully, ” said Baragona. “We can quickly enter the future of sci-fi, much more sci-fi than we expected, and have to be ready.”