DeepSeek advances could heighten safety risk, says ‘godfather’ of AI Yoshua Bengio says closer competition in field could prove dangerous, as international panel says AI’s future uncertain.
The potential for artificial intelligence systems to be used for malicious acts is increasing, according to a landmark report by AI experts, with one of the study’s authors warning that DeepSeek and other disruptors could heighten the safety risk.
Yoshua Bengio, regarded as one of the godfathers of modern AI, said advances by the Chinese startup DeepSeek could be a worrying development in a field that has been dominated by the US in recent years.
Bengio, a co-winner in 2018 of the Turing award – referred to as the Nobel prize of computing – was commissioned by the UK government to preside over the report, which was announced at the global AI safety summit at Bletchley Park in 2023.
Bengio said American firms and other rivals to DeepSeek could focus on regaining their lead instead of on safety.
