Successive developments in the world of artificial intelligence have magnified the privacy and security debate. The detention of a 36-year-old person in Brazil after his correspondence with ChatGPT raised the question of at what point private conversations can be shared with security units. On the other hand, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that artificial intelligence companies may gain too much power and there may be a “loss of control” in the systems.
HORRIBLE CORRESPONDENCE
It was claimed that a 36-year-old farmer living in the Espirito Santo state of Brazil had conversations about killing his eight-year-old son on ChatGPT for about two months. According to the information reflected in the investigation file, the correspondence included weapons, poison and scenarios about harming the child. It was also claimed that the suspect was trying to find a hitman and offered money for it.
REPORTED TO FBI
It was reported that OpenAI systems evaluated the conversations as a risk of serious physical harm, the situation was reported to the FBI and from there it was forwarded to Brazilian authorities. While the police seized bottles containing various substances and a rope from the suspect’s house, it was also claimed that the person was doing research on poisonous substances. However, the incident also brought about a legal debate. The suspect was released after being detained for 54 days. His lawyer argued that his client was just writing “nonsense” and that no crime had been committed.
DOES CHATGPT REPORT THE POLICE?
OpenAI’s policy does not mean that every violent conversation is sent to the police. The company states that notification can only be made to security units when it is assessed that there is an imminent, serious and credible threat of physical harm. While the discussions continued, a remarkable statement came from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Altman said that some companies developing artificial intelligence could gain too much power over the economy and impose a certain worldview on people. His more striking warning was about the control of systems. While Altman stated that a serious “loss of control accident” could occur in artificial intelligence, he also stated that concentration of too much power in the hands of certain companies or individuals poses a great risk.
WHAT IS THE REAL DANGER?
According to experts, the debate on artificial intelligence is no longer just about job loss or technological transformation. While on the one hand, artificial intelligence companies analyze users’ conversations for security reasons, on the other hand, managers of the same companies say that the power accumulated in their hands may itself become dangerous.
