An OpenAI safety researcher has described the global race toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) as a “very risky gamble, with significant downsides” for humanity, announcing his unexpected resignation from the organization.
Steven Adler, who has been at the forefront of safety-related research and program development for product launches and speculative long-term AI systems at OpenAI, has joined other prominent AI researchers in expressing their concerns regarding the rapid evolution of these technologies.
In a series of posts on social media platform X, Adler articulated his apprehensions about the accelerating pace of AI advancement.
According to Daily Mail, He stated, “An AGI race is a very risky gamble, with significant downsides,” and further expressed that he is personally “quite alarmed” by the speed of AI development.
Adler’s resignation, after four years with OpenAI, was accompanied by reflections on his tenure, which he characterized as “a wild ride with numerous chapters,” while also indicating that he would “miss many aspects of it.”
Nevertheless, he voiced criticism regarding the swift developments occurring in the AGI sector among leading AI laboratories and global power players.
He reflected on personal considerations, stating, “When I contemplate where I will raise a future family, or how much to allocate for retirement, I cannot help but wonder: Will humanity even reach that point?”
Adler also highlighted the importance of AI alignment—the process of ensuring that AI systems operate in accordance with human goals and values.
He noted, “In my opinion, an AGI race is a very risky gamble, with significant downsides. No laboratory currently possesses a solution to AI alignment.
The more rapidly we progress, the less likely it becomes that anyone will identify a resolution in a timely manner.”
He concluded with a cautionary observation about the current state of AI development, articulating that “today, it appears we are entrenched in a detrimental equilibrium.
Even if a laboratory is genuinely committed to the responsible development of AGI, others may choose to compromise on safety measures to accelerate their progress, potentially resulting in catastrophic outcomes.”
