AI tech could produce killer weapons: Government advisor

It comes as advisor Matt Clifford said that unless AI producers are regulated on a global scale then there could be “very powerful” systems that humans could struggle to control.

Speaking to TalkTV, Clifford said that even the short-term risks were "pretty scary" adding that AI has the potential to create cyber and biological weapons that could inflict many deaths.

Clifford is not the only tech expert that has shared their concern, as a letter backed by dozens of experts, was published last week warning that the risks of the technology should be treated with the same urgency as pandemics or nuclear war.

Tech experts are warning over the use of AI. (Image: Canva)

Government advisors warn of the use of AI 

Senior bosses at Google DeepMind and Anthropic both signed the letter along with the "godfather of AI" Geoffrey Hinton. 

Hinton shocked the world of tech after resigning from his job at Google sharing that if in the wrong hands, AI could harm people and spell the end of humanity. 

Now, Clifford is advising the Prime Minister on the development of the UK Government’s Foundation Model Taskforce as they look to use AI. 

Speaking to TalkTV, Clifford said that AI could pose a risk to many elements: "I think there are lots of different types of risks with AI and often in the industry we talk about near-term and long-term risks, and the near-term risks are actually pretty scary.

“You can use AI today to create new recipes for bioweapons or to launch large-scale cyber attacks. These are bad things.

“The kind of existential risk that I think the letter writers were talking about is… about what happens once we effectively create a new species, an intelligence that is greater than humans.”

AI could be the kind of existential risk says Clifford. (Image: PA)

During the show, the governmental advisor was also asked what percentage chance he would give that humanity could be wiped out by AI, Mr Clifford said: “I think it is not zero.”

Adding: "If we go back to things like the bioweapons or cyber (attacks), you can have really very dangerous threats to humans that could kill many humans – not all humans – simply from where we would expect models to be in two years’ time.

“I think the thing to focus on now is how do we make sure that we know how to control these models because right now we don’t.”

Although there is a concern as to what the future of AI could mean, some have been using the technology for lifesaving tasks. 

This includes algorithms analysing medical images such as X-rays, scans and ultrasounds, helping doctors to identify and diagnose diseases such as cancer and heart conditions more accurately and quickly.