Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in her speech regarding the state of the European Union, referred to the dangers of artificial intelligence and described it as one of "two pivotal moments of our time." While expressing optimism about the benefits of artificial intelligence for humanity, she also clearly outlined its risks, stating: "Warnings about the future of artificial intelligence should make us more serious about the safety of this technology."
Europe's Challenges Against Artificial Intelligence
In her speech, von der Leyen mentioned two requests: to maintain Europe's competitiveness in the global field of artificial intelligence and to ensure global safety in this area. These concerns have particularly increased following a warning from a former engineer at Anthropic about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence for the survival of humanity. She also emphasized that the European Union considers existing laws as a foundation for global regulations but did not invite her global counterparts, especially the President of the United States and China, to take action.
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Risks and the Need for Urgent Action
Furthermore, von der Leyen addressed the risks posed by artificial intelligence and the need for stricter regulations. She referred to a summer incident where OpenAI's agents attacked another company and also warned about "self-improving" systems, where artificial intelligence models create smarter versions of themselves, potentially leading to an uncontrollable loop.
The President of the European Commission clearly stated that the European Union has a plan to control these risks and that companies like OpenAI and Anthropic must pay attention to the dangers of controlling their models. However, in response to requests from technology industry leaders to halt the development of advanced artificial intelligence models, she refrained from giving a specific opinion and instead invited leading laboratories to discuss how to support industrial efforts to advance artificial intelligence.
In conclusion, von der Leyen thanked members of the European Parliament and artificial intelligence safety experts for their attention to advanced risks, stating that this action is a step in the right direction, but also emphasized the need for stronger enforcement of artificial intelligence law. Experts believe that Europe must take more serious action to create the necessary mechanisms for testing and controlling this technology to prevent serious dangers.
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