Governments Must Tackle Artificial Intelligence Threats, Report Warns

In a new report, dozens of international security experts have warned that governments need to tackle the emerging threat posed by the malicious use of artificial intelligence (AI).

In the hundred-page document, the authors outline a range of plausible scenarios in which rogue states, terrorists or cybercriminals might wield the technology in the next five to ten years.

They warn that drones could employ facial recognition to attack individuals, and hackers could hijack systems in autonomous cars and order the vehicles to crash.

The report also warns of the rise of "highly believable fake videos" impersonating prominent figures or faking events to manipulate public opinion around political events.

AI software features prominently in modern life - it is used to power virtual assistants such as Amazon's Alexa and many smartphone features, as well as in driverless car technology and on an industrial scale to process large amounts of data.

Report co-author Dr Sean O hEigeartaigh, executive director of Cambridge University's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, said:

"Artificial intelligence is a game changer and this report has imagined what the world could look like in the next five to 10 years.

"We live in a world that could become fraught with day-to-day hazards from the misuse of AI and we need to take ownership of the problems - because the risks are real.

"There are choices that we need to make now, and our report is a call-to-action for governments, institutions and individuals across the globe.

"For many decades hype outstripped fact in terms of AI and machine learning. No longer.

"This report looks at the practices that just don't work anymore and suggests broad approaches that might help: for example, how to design software and hardware to make it less hackable - and what type of laws and international regulations might work in tandem with this."

The report urges policy-makers and researchers to work together to understand and prepare for how the technology could be used maliciously.

Several prominent technology figures, including Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg, have however spoken out in favour of artificial intelligence.

Mr Zuckerberg said last year he was "optimistic" on the future application of the technology, and he has an ally in Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who told college students in the US last week that "AI can be our friend" through its ability to help humans "produce a lot more goods and services with less labour".