Call for a pause in the development of artificial intelligence systems

In an opinion piece published in the Grand Forks Herald newspaper, Ron Sadler called for an immediate pause in the development and deployment process of generative artificial intelligence systems.

Sadler stated that the rapid progress in artificial intelligence technology brings along social and environmental risks, expressing that the current trajectory is unsustainable. The author emphasized that the long-term effects of these technologies emerging from laboratory settings on the labor market, data privacy, and the perception of social reality are not yet fully understood.

The text noted that hyper-realistic deepfake content, in particular, harms democratic processes and undermines public trust. Furthermore, attention was drawn to the fact that the high energy and water consumption of large data centers makes combating climate change more difficult. Sadler argued that technological progress should serve humanity, stating that a pause period is needed for policy makers and scientists to establish international safety standards.