AI snake oil is here, and it’s a distraction


Between the glut of companies pitching appealing new ways to use AI on one side, and the overhyped prognostications that AI can lead to humanity’s downfall on the other, the actual safety issues involved with AI technology are often not discussed. Institute Associate Professor Siddharth Garg explained that “We should be talking about short-term harms that can be foreseen…and trying to address those and then...keeping an eye on what can I do that will be useful right now.”