Ramaphosa urges caution on AI development

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for BRICS to establish an international mechanism for the independent scientific evaluation of artificial intelligence (AI).

Speaking at a session on shaping the future for inclusive global growth at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, on Sunday, 13 September, he argued that the responsibility of world leaders was to ensure that human governance advanced as rapidly as AI.

The capabilities of AI models were becoming increasingly more powerful, reshaping “almost every area of economic and social life”, Ramaphosa said.

He acknowledged that AI could support efforts to reduce inequality, poverty and underdevelopment, if used effectively and responsibly, and noted that these tools had the capability to transform medicine, education, scientific discovery, agriculture, productivity and development.

However, “we must listen carefully to what those who are developing the most powerful AI systems are themselves telling us”, he cautioned.

“They are warning about systems capable of advanced cyber operations, assistance in biological weapons development, autonomous action, manipulation, mass surveillance, disruption of employment and, ultimately, systems whose capabilities may become difficult for human beings to control.

“We should therefore neither fear AI nor approach it recklessly.”