Next year is also in the next 250 years
Congressional staffers rank “loss of control over AI” as a top danger to the United States
Thanks to a tweet by Tim Schnabel, who provided additional numbers, I found Punchbowl’s reporting on a survey question they asked senior congressional staffers. The question:
Over the next 250 years, what do you believe will be the most important challenge for America to overcome?
Respondents were asked to select three responses out of 18 listed. The third-most chosen concern, selected by 35% of staffers, was “losing control of AI.” This put it ahead of war, fertility decline, and even geopolitical competition.
Their two top picks?
“National debt and federal deficit” (51%)
“Political polarization” (45%)
Unlike that #1 pick, however, losing control of AI was a strongly bipartisan concern, selected by 40% of Democrats and 31% of Republicans.
I find this really encouraging. Members of Congress commonly rely on their staffers, who are typically younger, to research emerging issues and suggest policy positions. So a survey like this can be a leading indicator of congressional evolution.
I like to think this is a sign that ongoing efforts by MIRI and others to brief the Hill are bearing fruit.
I just hope respondents didn’t overly attach to the “next 250 years” clause in the question and pick the AI problem as feeling Far Out. As MIRI’s briefings emphasize, AI capabilities are advancing very quickly, and we can no longer be sure the extinction problem can be put off even to the next administration. Next year is also in the next 250 years.
In fact, I’m a lot more worried about 2027 (and 2028, and 2029) than I am about 2130 or 2276. If we can survive the next few decades, I think we’re in for an amazing couple of centuries.
The analyses and opinions expressed on AI StopWatch reflect the views of the individual contributors and the sources they cover, and should not be taken as official positions of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute.