Former Deepmind PR staffer says the lab once banned public discussion of AI extinction risk

Vishal Maini, a former spokesperson for DeepMind, revealed that discussions about the risk of human extinction due to AI were internally banned. He noted that the team was aware that AI alignment had not been resolved, indicating a genuine concern within the organization. These statements come at a time when public anxiety about AI's impacts is growing, with increasing calls for discussions about the associated risks. However, DeepMind prohibited any public conversation on these dangers, raising questions about transparency in the AI sector.