Artificial intelligence poses 'extinction' risk, top AI CEOs and experts warn

The letter coincided with the US-EU Trade and Technology Council meeting in Sweden where politicians are expected to talk about regulating AI

The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying the ChatGPT home screen. File Picture: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Top artificial intelligence executives including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Tuesday joined experts and professors in raising the "risk of extinction from AI", which they urged policymakers to equate at par with risks posed by pandemics and nuclear war.

"Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war," more than 350 signatories wrote in a letter published by the nonprofit Center for AI Safety (CAIS).