AI researcher Russell in an interview: Why the optimist became a warner

In an interview at the DLD conference in Munich, Russell explains to Handelsblatt why he has gone from being a technology optimist to warning, why he thinks the current regulation is wrong and how high he believes the risk is that AI will get out of control.

Mr. Russell, you co-wrote the world's most influential AI textbook and are now considered one of the most prominent warnings. When exactly did the optimist become the skeptic?

I don’t think “skeptic” is the right word. It's more of a compliment to AI when I say: It could become so powerful that it becomes a threat - unless you develop it correctly. Someone who ensures that nuclear reactors don't explode is not a skeptic about nuclear energy. That's just common sense.