Emily Bender

AI researchers Timnit Gebru and Emily M Bender argue in a Guardian opinion piece that the focus on hypothetical 'superintelligence' distracts from a more urgent danger: current, error-prone AI systems. They claim flawed AI outputs nearly contributed to a world war three scenario this month, urging public debate to center on the real-world failures of today's technology rather than speculative futures.

Researchers Timnit Gebru and Emily Bender are highlighting a CNN report arguing that large language models are entering military systems quietly, not through humanoid robots but through corrupted or manipulated data that could skew military decisions. Commenters warn that poisoned information fed into defence systems carries escalation risks, potentially up to a global conflict, and say the issue deserves far more media attention than it is getting.