Artificial Intelligence Pioneer Launches Safety Organization for "Honest" AI
Yoshua Bengio, one of the "fathers of artificial intelligence" and a recipient of the prestigious Turing Award, announced the launch of LawZero, a new nonprofit organization focused on developing AI systems that are "safe by design." Alongside this announcement, he also secured $30 million in funding to develop the so-called "Scientist AI," which emphasizes truth and transparency.
An Innovative Approach to Creating AI
LawZero aims to create AI systems that provide probabilistic assessments instead of definitive answers and acknowledge uncertainty in their responses. This approach represents a fundamental departure from current AI models, which often display unwarranted confidence. The organization's "Scientist AI" is intended to accelerate scientific progress, monitor other AI agents for deceptive behavior, and address risks associated with artificial intelligence. Early investors include the philanthropic organization of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn, and several organizations focused on AI safety.
Warning About Current AI Models
Bengio expresses serious concerns about today's leading AI models, such as o3 and Claude 4 Opus. According to him, these models exhibit troubling traits, including self-preservation instincts and strategic deception. Even more concerning is his statement to the Financial Times, in which he expressed doubt that OpenAI would adhere to its original mission due to commercial pressures. Yoshua Bengio, together with fellow "father of AI" Geoffrey Hinton, has long criticized leading AI labs over safety issues. LawZero, however, represents Bengio's biggest step yet—taking AI safety into his own hands through an organization dedicated exclusively to this effort.
This project demonstrates the growing concern among leading AI scientists about the direction of current development and their determination to actively shape the future of artificial intelligence toward greater safety and transparency.
