Global Courant
Palantir headquarters in Palo Alto, California, USA, on Wednesday, May 10, 2023.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
However, Palantir’s boss, Alex Karp, is against the idea of a pause in artificial intelligence research an open letter from the Future of Life Institute signed by some of the biggest names in the technology industry.
The letter, which has garnered more than 31,000 signatures, including names like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, called for a pause in AI research into models larger than GPT-4, which includes tools such as ChatGPT powers.
The letter also states that if “such a pause cannot be introduced quickly, governments must step in and institute a moratorium”.
Karp said in an interview with BBC Radio on Thursday that he believes “a lot of the people asking for a break are asking for a break because they don’t have product.”
He added, without naming anyone, that this is because “people who have nothing to offer want to study AI,” but taking a break could lead to opponents stealing an edge in not just commercial applications, as well as military applications.
For him, “studying this and letting other people win, both commercially and on the battlefield” is a very bad strategy.
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When asked if what he wanted was an “AI race” similar to the Cold War arms race, Karp simply said that “there is already an AI arms race, it’s just that we’re leading the way, (and) it is not like we slow down, the AI race will stop.”
He pointed out that the “key event” in this race isn’t big language models like GPT-4, but how AI has been used in military applications.
Karp points out that Ukrainian forces used Palantir technologies to gain a technological edge over invading Russian forces. A report of The times in December 2022 revealed that Palantir’s AI has enabled Ukraine to increase the accuracy, speed and lethality of its artillery strikes despite relatively smaller artillery units. Palantir sells software to governments and private sector organizations that help them analyze large amounts of data.
The arrival of this AI-powered software on the battlefield “just throws a gauntlet at every country in the world,” Karp said. He added, “especially (for) our opponents, they can’t afford us this advantage. And so the race is on. The only question is whether we stay ahead or whether we relinquish the lead.”
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