Marc Andreessen Thinks Repeating This Nuclear Power Mistake Will Be Catastrophic For AI

Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen has chimed in on the ongoing debate about AI regulation, stating that repeating the mistake of the proliferation of nuclear power again will be catastrophic for AI.

What Happened: Andreessen stressed that trying to regulate artificial intelligence using the same ideas used for regulating and controlling nuclear power would prove fatal for AI in his address during the University of Austin's 2023 Forbidden Courses program.

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"For the last 50 years, we've played out this experiment with so-called precautionary principles. It did not work well for the technology it was invented for," Andreessen said, referring to the Non-Proliferation Treaty that was signed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and technology.

Andreessen also underlined how Ukraine is at the receiving end of the invasion by Russia now because it denuclearized after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"There's now an attempt to apply that ethos or rule for AI, which I think would be another catastrophic mistake," Andreessen added.

Growing Calls For AI Regulation: OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman, Microsoft Corp. MSFT co-founder Bill Gates and others have called for regulation of AI. Altman testified in a Senate hearing about the risks of AI and called for its regulation. In contrast, Gates called for creating a global regulatory body on the lines of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Elon Musk went a step further and called for a "pause" on the development of AI.

However, Andreessen disagreed and said, "The future hangs in the balance because there are a lot of people pushing for that right now."

Others want a more balanced approach to regulation. In a recent conversation with Benzinga, Ole Lehmann, founder of AI Solopreneur, said, "I think with powerful technology, there always is a need for some regulation, but I think builders in this space need to be involved in this legislation."

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