An expert and entrepreneur in the field of artificial intelligence warned that while the new technology has the potential to bring massive benefits, it could also prove to be “too powerful and too disruptive” for humanity, expressing doubt on the federal government’s ability to meet this challenge.
Kevin Baragona worked as a software engineer, but recognized the potential impact of AI, which led him to start DeepAI in 2016 to help bring the new technology to life. The free online service is growing rapidly, with users increasing tenfold in the past year.
DeepAI was the first company to offer an online AI text-to-image generator, which allows users to enter a description of the image they’d like to create, select a theme, and receive a custom image for download.
The platform also offers several other services, such as an AI chatbot, an image editor, and other AI-generated content. Baragona has said his goal is to simplify access to AI technology for the wider population and make AI accessible even to those without computers. DeepAI hosts an extensive collection of research papers and an AI glossary aimed at explaining AI to users of all experience levels.
Vice President Kamala Harris attends the Aspen Ideas 2023 climate event on March 8, 2023 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo of Harris by Mireya Acierto/Getty Images)
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“DeepAI enhances people’s creativity,” Baragona told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “AI gives humans a boost of creativity. Beyond that, we can use it to create joy in people’s minds, like with our image generator.”
Baragona described a vision of AI that enhances rather than supersedes human activity, with advanced technology serving as a boost or supplement. This role, he explained, would be the ideal setting for the future of AI. However, Baragona was quick to add that people are right to be concerned.
“On the one hand, AI is an incredible technology like the smartphone or the Internet that can make us richer, more creative, more powerful,” Baragona said. “On the other hand, AI can be too powerful and too disruptive. We’re now at a point where AI is as good as humans in a lot of areas, or at least getting close to it fast.”
Baragona explained that virtually every area of work, from journalism to law to fine art, is being affected by the rise of AI, all at the same time, and pointed to three major risks that could have profound implications for society: disruption, potential large-scale job losses, and the prospect of making computers smarter than humans.
A specific example he cited is not being able to trust what you see online because of AI, which could be weaponized to manipulate information and advance a particular ideology.
Kevin Baragona, founder and CEO of DeepAI (Image provided by DeepAI)
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“AI typically reflects the values of those who created it,” Baragona said. “ChatGPT is pretty well known on the left.”
“It describes me as a little conflicted,” he added. “I love AI as a technology, what it can do for people. But we can’t ignore the potential downsides. In many ways, it feels like Pandora’s Box has been opened.”
Baragona said regulation could play a role in mitigating the risk, but expressed no optimism in policymakers’ ability to meet the challenge. Asked if he had confidence in Washington to address the issues raised by AI, he replied: “Well, they put Kamala Harris in charge, so not really.”
The White House earlier last month named Vice President Harris as “AI czar” to lead the Biden administration’s new initiative “to promote responsible AI innovation that protects the rights and security of North- Americans”.
Harris’ appointment has been met with widespread skepticism, with many voices questioning his ability to handle the role of AI czar. Twitter owner Elon Musk recently mocked the quote, tweeting: “Maybe someone who can fix their own WiFi router wouldn’t be too much to ask.”
Home page of DeepAI website (Image provided by DeepAI)
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Harris has been similarly criticized for her role as “border czar” in the administration due to the ongoing crisis of mass illegal crossings on the southern border of Mexico into the US.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Despite his skepticism about Harris, Baragona argued that no one, including AI experts, has any idea what’s coming.
“It’s a wave even for insiders,” he said. “I wouldn’t say the experts are better prepared. We’re all in the same boat together.”
DeepAi continues to build out its service, working on “better and better” versions of what it already has and also developing video games that use AI technology, according to Baragona.
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Ultimately, he argued, people must take responsibility for educating themselves about AI in order to be prepared for the future.
“The message I want people to hear is that they need to educate themselves about what AI can do and what it can do in the future so that we can have any hope of adapting to this technology successfully,” he said. barrage “We can quickly enter a sci-fi future, more sci-fi than we might expect, and we have to be ready.”
