Google's DeepMind CEO has two worries when it comes to AI. Losing jobs isn't one of them
CNN — Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google's AI research arm DeepMind and a Nobel Prize laureate, isn't too worried about an AI
Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google's AI research arm DeepMind and a Nobel Prize laureate, isn't too worried about an AI 'jobpocalypse.'
Instead of fretting over AI replacing jobs, he's worried about the technology falling into the wrong hands – and a lack of guardrails to keep sophisticated, autonomous AI models under control.
'Both of those risks are important, challenging ones,' he said in an interview with CNN's Anna Stewart at the SXSW festival in London, which takes place this week.
Last week, the CEO of high-profile AI lab Anthropic had a stark warning about the future of the job landscape, claiming that AI could wipe out half of entry-level white-collar jobs. But Hassabis said he's most concerned about the potential misuse of what AI developers call 'artificial general intelligence,' a theoretical type of AI that would broadly match human-level intelligence.
'A bad actor could repurpose those same technologies for a harmful end,' he said. 'And so one big thing is… how do we restrict access to these systems, powerful systems to bad actors…but enable good actors to do many, many amazing things with it?'
Hackers have used AI to generate voice messages impersonating US government officials, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a May public advisory. A report commissioned by the US State Department last year found that AI could pose 'catastrophic' national security risks, CNN reported. AI has also facilitated the creation of deepfake pornography — though the Take It Down Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last month, aims to stop the proliferation of these deepfakes by making it illegal to share nonconsensual explicit images online.
Hassabis isn't the first to call out such concerns. But his comments further underscore both the promise of AI and the alarm that it brings as the technology gets better at handling complex tasks like writing code and generating video clips. While AI has been heralded as one of the biggest technological advancements since the internet, it also gives scammers and other malicious actors more tools than ever before. And it's rapidly advancing without much regulation as the United States and China race to establish dominance in the field.
Google removed language from its AI ethics policy website in February, pledging not to use AI for weapons and surveillance.
Hassabis believes there should be an international agreement on the fundamentals of how AI should be utilized and how to ensure the technology is only used 'for the good use cases.'
'Obviously, it's looking difficult at present day with the geopolitics as it is,' he said. 'But, you know, I hope that as things will improve, and as AI becomes more sophisticated, I think it'll become more clear to the world that that needs to happen.'
The DeepMind CEO also believes we're headed toward a future in which people use AI 'agents' to execute tasks on their behalf, a vision Google is working towards by integrating more AI into its search function and developing AI-powered smart glasses.
'We sometimes call it a universal AI assistant that will go around with you everywhere, help you in your everyday life, do mundane admin tasks for you, but also enrich your life by recommending you amazing things, from books and films to maybe even friends to meet,' he said.
New AI models are showing progress in areas like video generation and coding, adding to fears that the technology could eliminate jobs.
'AI is starting to get better than humans at almost all intellectual tasks, and we're going to collectively, as a society, grapple with it,' Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei told CNN just after telling Axios that AI could axe entry-level jobs. In April, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he expects AI to write half the company's code by 2026.
However, an AI-focused future is closer to promise than reality. AI is still prone to shortcomings like bias and hallucinations, which have sparked a handful of high-profile mishaps for the companies using the technology. The Chicago Sun-Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer, for example, published an AI-generated summer reading list including nonexistent books last month.
While Hassabis says AI will change the workforce, he doesn't believe AI will render jobs obsolete. Like some others in the AI space, he believes the technology could result in new types of jobs and increase productivity. But he also acknowledged that society will likely have to adapt and find some way of 'distributing all the additional productivity that AI will produce in the economy.'
He compared AI to the rise of other technological changes, like the internet.
'There's going to be a huge amount of change,' he said. 'Usually what happens is new, even better jobs arrive to take the place of some of the jobs that get replaced. We'll see if that happens this time.'
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Egypt Independent
a day ago
- Egypt Independent
Trump signs proclamation to ban travel from 12 countries
CNN — President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Wednesday evening to ban travel from several countries to the US, citing security risks. The ban will fully restrict entry of nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan; Myanmar, also known as Burma; Chad; Republic of the Congo; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Haiti; Iran; Libya; Somalia; Sudan; and Yemen. People from seven countries will have partial restriction: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The proclamation includes exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories and individuals whose entry serves US national interests. The president made the final call on signing the proclamation after the antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, according to a White House official. He was considering it beforehand, but Sunday's assault put it into motion faster. 'President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm,' White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson wrote on X. 'These commonsense restrictions are country-specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information,' she wrote. Trump said in a video posted Wednesday that new countries could be added to the travel ban as 'threats emerge around the world.' 'The list is subject to revision based on whether material improvements are made. And likewise new countries can be added as threats emerge around the world, but we will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm and nothing will stop us from keeping America safe,' the president said. The proclamation takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on June 9, according to the White House. Wednesday's proclamation comes less than five months after the president was inaugurated. On his first day in office, he issued an executive order directing cabinet members, including the secretary of state, to compile a list of countries 'for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.' In his first term, Trump barred travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations from coming to the US, a policy that saw court challenges before President Joe Biden repealed it when he took office in 2021. The barring of nationals from Afghanistan could impact Afghans who worked alongside the US during its two decades of war there. Tens of thousands of Afghans have already been caught in limbo due to other Trump administration executive orders suspending the US refugee admissions program and the suspension of foreign aid funding for flights of Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders. Shawn Vandiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac, a leading US coalition of resettlement and veterans' groups, said the travel ban 'disproportionately affects families and individuals seeking lawful entry into the US.' The proclamation 'is a strategic move, not a response to an immediate threat,' Vandiver said in a statement. The ban also sparked criticism from the governments of impacted countries. Venezuela's Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace said on Wednesday that being in the US 'is a big risk for anyone, not just Venezuelans.' 'If you're really that foolish, then go to the United States,' Diosdado Cabello said on government TV, Reuters news agency reported. Oxfam, meanwhile, warned that the proclamation 'marks a chilling return to policies of fear, discrimination, and division.' The ban will deny entry to the US for individuals and families fleeing war and persecution, 'forcing them to remain in dangerous conditions,' Abby Maxman, Oxfam America's President and CEO, said in a statement. Helen Regan contributed reporting. This story and headline have been updated with additional information.
Egypt Independent
a day ago
- Egypt Independent
‘Death and hunger': Videos, expert analysis and witnesses point to Israeli gunfire in Gaza aid site shooting
Editor's Note: This story contains graphic images and descriptions of violence. CNN — A CNN investigation into a deadly incident near an aid distribution site in southern Gaza on Sunday points to the Israeli military opening fire on crowds of Palestinians as they tried to make their way to the fenced enclosure to get food. More than a dozen eyewitnesses, including those wounded in the attack, said Israeli troops shot at crowds in volleys of gunfire that occurred sporadically through the early hours of Sunday morning. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the US and Israeli-backed aid initiative that runs the site, said that Israeli forces were operating in the area during the same period. Multiple videos geolocated by CNN place the gunfire near a roundabout where hundreds of Palestinians had gathered about half a mile (800 meters) away from the militarized aid site in Tel al-Sultan in Rafah. The designated route to the site along the coast, Al-Rasheed Street, is in an area under the Israeli military's control and Israeli troops operate at a base nearby. Weapons experts said the rate of gunfire heard in the footage, as well as images of bullets retrieved from victims, were consistent with machine guns used by the Israeli military that can be mounted on tanks. Multiple eyewitnesses said that they saw gunfire emanating from Israeli tanks nearby. None of the videos definitively show who fired shots outside of the aid camp. However, CNN's review of audiovisual material sheds fresh light on how the pursuit of aid turned chaotic and then dangerous, on the actions of Israeli forces and the consequences of the new aid mechanism, which has been mired in controversy. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initially said on Sunday that its forces did not fire at civilians 'while they were near or within the aid site.' An Israeli military source later acknowledged that troops had fired 'warning shots' at suspects about 1 kilometer (1,093 yards) away. The Israeli military declined to answer questions about CNN's findings. During a press conference on Tuesday, IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the military investigated and found its troops played no role in any mass casualty event. Defrin said: 'This week, it was claimed that the IDF fired at civilians in an aid distribution area. This report is entirely false and echoes the propaganda of the terrorist organization Hamas… Regarding the incident on Sunday – it simply didn't happen!' Defrin also suggested casualty figures provided by the Palestinian health ministry were inflated, but did not elaborate as to how many people the military believed had been killed or injured. Sunday's mass shooting, which the Palestinian health ministry said killed at least 31 Palestinians and injured dozens, was the deadliest incident involving aid distribution in recent months. It comes amid warnings from the United Nations that the new aid distribution mechanism has become a 'death trap' for desperate people seeking food in the strip. Palestinians pray during a funeral for people who were killed while heading to the GHF-run Gaza aid hub on Sunday. Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Thousands of starving Palestinians had gathered in the sandy bulldozed area near the GHF-run site before the gates opened on Sunday, braving chaotic scenes when gunfire struck the crowd. 'No one move, stay in your place… no one move!' one Palestinian man is heard yelling in a series of videos posted to TikTok on Sunday, filmed along the coast where crowds had gathered near the aid site. The videos – reviewed and geolocated by CNN – capture Palestinians taking cover amid repeated bursts of gunfire, and what appear to be two explosive munitions seen landing next to the crowd. Mohammed Saqer, 43, told CNN in an interview that he only narrowly escaped death, watching people around him get shot in the head as he crouched on the ground, hoping to survive long enough to reach the site run by GHF and get food for his family. After the US-backed private foundation finally opened the site at 5:00 a.m., witnesses said the Israeli military's gunfire continued nearby. Surveillance footage shared by GHF shows crowds of onrushing Palestinians scrambling to reach the limited boxes of food as tracer fire explodes into the night sky in the distance. By sunrise, the extent of the catastrophe was undeniable. Videos captured bloodied bodies of Palestinians scattered across the sands, roughly a half mile from the food distribution center. Similar deadly incidents on Monday and Tuesday near the same site have raised further questions about whether the militarized aid initiative backed by the US and approved by Israel can deliver food supplies safely. In the subsequent episodes, the IDF acknowledged that Israeli troops had fired warning shots in the area. GHF said none of the shootings occurred within or adjacent to their distribution sites, adding that the location of the shootings was 'an area well beyond our secure distribution site.' For Saqer, who said he managed to finally reach the aid site and escaped with whatever he could carry, the harrowing night still weighs heavily on him. 'We survived a night that was worse than we could imagine,' he said. 'The reality for people was one of death and hunger searching for food.' Videos capture deadly chaos When GHF announced its distribution plans for Sunday, the instructions were direct: only one aid site would be open starting at 5:00 a.m., and the IDF would be present in the area to secure passage on a designated route. It also warned – albeit after gunfire reportedly already erupted – that the Israeli military would be 'active' in the area ahead of the site's opening. 'Using the passage before 5:00 a.m. is prohibited, as we were informed by the military that it will be active in the area before and after the specified safe hours,' the GHF said in a release on Facebook at 4 a.m. 'We remind all residents to stay on the road — straying from it poses a significant danger.' Having endured an 11-week Israeli blockade of humanitarian aid, thousands of desperate Palestinians began making their way down Al-Rasheed Street in hopes of being among the first to reach the aid site – the only one operating in all of Gaza that day – before the limited supplies ran out. As people attempted to slowly advance to the aid site from the Al-Alam roundabout, more than a dozen witnesses interviewed by CNN described the IDF opening volleys of intense fire on the crowd starting as early as 3:30 a.m. 'I could hear the screams of young people and others from their injuries,' Saqer said. 'In front of me were four young men with direct injuries to the head… there was a person next to me who was injured by a bullet in his eye.' He and others said a quadcopter drone appeared above the crowd, with the voice on its speaker telling people to turn around. But amid the warning, gunfire crackled all around them. 'Even retreating was almost impossible, and everyone was lying on the ground unable to lift their heads because if you lifted your head, you would get shot.' As the chaos unfolded near the Al-Alam area, the GHF aid site officially opened at 5:00 a.m. Security video of the location released by the organization, which was labeled as beginning at 5:02 a.m., shows crowds of Palestinians running into the fenced distribution center. Three minutes later, in the background of the video, bursts of tracer gunfire are seen overhead, which forensics experts told CNN appear to be outgoing from an area near the distribution site. In the video, which has no audio, crowds can be seen running in another direction nearby. It is unclear whether they are running from gunfire. Around the same time back in the Al-Alam area approximately 800 meters (874 yards) away, 30-year-old Ameen Khalifa was filming as he took cover. Several videos shared on TikTok by Khalifa show groups of Palestinians lying flat on the ground and taking cover from ongoing bursts of automatic gunfire. CNN geolocated the video to the area using visible spotlights at the Egyptian border and the unfinished hospital that became an Israeli military base. Robert Maher, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Montana State University, who specializes in forensic audio analysis, examined the footage for CNN and said that the bursts of gunfire were at a rate of 15 and 16 shots per second (or 900 and 960 per minute), fired from a distance of about a quarter of a mile (450 meters). Based on the erratic nature of the sound, Maher said that the shots seemed to be spread out, fired repeatedly in one direction. 'Since the cracks are irregular, it seems more like the gunfire was being sprayed over the area.' Trevor Ball, a former US Army senior explosive ordnance disposal team member, said the rate of fire was consistent with the FN MAG, a heavily-used machine gun in the Israeli military's arsenal. The FN MAG is commonly equipped on the IDF's Merkava tanks, which several eyewitnesses said they saw open fire on the crowds. Ball told CNN he could not confirm the specific weaponry used, or who fired it, but the rate of fire, he said, indicated it wasn't consistent with machine guns used by Hamas. Ball also said the tracer fire – ammunition containing a pyrotechnic charge illuminating its trajectory – seen in the GHF's footage is consistent with the use of machine guns. 'Typically belt fed machine guns have tracer rounds inserted every few rounds. So while only 3 tracers are visible in the video, more rounds were fired.' Khalifa, who loved sports and bodybuilding, survived the harrowing night on Sunday only to be shot and killed by a drone two days later while heading to the same aid site to look for food, one of his close friends told CNN. By daylight, video footage reviewed by CNN captured the dire scene near the coast, with several bodies strewn in the sand. The Palestinian health ministry said that more than 200 casualties reached hospitals, including dozens with serious injuries. It added that all of those killed had been shot in the head or chest. The International Committee of the Red Cross said that its nearby field hospital was overwhelmed by patients, describing the carnage as the 'highest number of weapon-wounded in a single incident' since it opened over a year ago. Other dead and wounded were taken to Nasser Hospital. 'It's difficult to describe what we saw with the young and the old, there was severe injuries to the head, severe injuries to the lung,' recalled Dr. Ahmad Abou-Sweid, an Australian working at the Nasser medical complex. 'There was a heavy proportion of head-targeted injuries from bullet wounds.' Doctors working at Nasser Hospital shared photos with CNN of the bullets retrieved from patients injured and killed in the attack, which weapons experts say appear to match the type of ammunition used in the Israeli military's machine guns. 'This bullet is consistent with the NATO standard 7.62mm M80, which would be fired by IDF 7.62x51mm weapons, including the Negev 7.62 and FN MAG,' Ball said of one of the images. A bullet pulled by doctors from a patient at Nasser Hospital in Sunday's shooting near the GHF aid site. A weapons expert said it was consistent with ammunition used in the Israeli military's machine guns. Obtained by CNN GHF, which runs the site, insisted: 'There was no gunfire in the (distribution) center and also not in the surrounding area.' 'All aid was distributed today without incident. We have heard that these fake reports have been actively fomented by Hamas. They are untrue and fabricated.' The IDF said allegations that Israeli soldiers fired on Gazans near or within the aid distribution site were 'false reports.' It added: 'Findings from an initial inquiry indicate that the IDF did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site and that reports to this effect are false.' An Israeli military source told CNN that IDF troops did fire warning shots towards suspects approaching their position approximately a kilometer (1,100 yards) away from the aid distribution site in an incident that happened several hours before the site opened. Ihab Musleh told CNN he had taken his two young sons along to the aid distribution center. When he told them to stay put at a nearby hill as he went inside the site, he heard more gunfire and rushed back out. Yazeed, 13, was shot in the stomach by gunfire from an Israeli tank and survived his injuries, according to his dad. 'He was waving his hands towards the tank and within seconds, he was hit with gunfire and fell to the ground,' Musleh said, speaking to CNN from the hospital where his son was being treated. Other witnesses told CNN they were either injured or saw intense gunfire in the area after the aid site opened. Mohammad Abu Rezeq was shot in the stomach upon arriving at Al-Alam where he said Israeli forces were deliberately targeting the crowd. 'I have seen a lot of soldiers in this war. When they want to clear an area or warn you, they shoot around you. But yesterday, they were shooting to kill us,' Abu Rezeq said. CNN asked the IDF about the claim from witnesses that its troops were firing directly at crowds, shooting to kill, but it gave no further comment beyond its published statement. Not an isolated incident The chaos in the early hours of Sunday morning was not an isolated incident. In consecutive days since, Palestinians attempting to reach the GHF's aid distribution sites have come under fire by the Israeli military. After the intense gunfire near the Al-Alam roundabout on Sunday, GHF's Facebook posts included updated maps of the safe route for the following days. The new maps included a large, red stop sign at Al-Alam. On Tuesday, nearly 30 people were killed and dozens wounded while making their way to the aid sites in Tel al-Sultan in Rafah, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and Nasser Hospital. The Israeli military said that its forces opened fire multiple times after identifying 'several suspects moving toward them, deviating from the designated access routes.' 'The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced toward the troops,' the IDF said in a statement, adding they were looking into reports of casualties. While the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots in the area three days in a row, posts from GHF's Facebook page show the organization works in close coordination with the IDF to establish safe, defined routes. A Palestinian man carries an empty box of relief supplies from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation near the group's distribution point in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Sunday, June 1, 2025. AFP/Getty Images GHF was set up amid Israeli accusations that Hamas is stealing aid in Gaza and profiting from sales, though Israel hasn't presented any evidence publicly to back up the claim. UN aid groups, such as UNRWA, typically check identification and rely on a database of registered families when distributing aid. But GHF is not screening Palestinians at aid distribution sites, despite Israeli officials saying that additional security measures were a core reason for the creation of the new program. UN aid agencies have criticized GHF's aid mechanism, saying it violates humanitarian principles and raises the risks for Palestinians. Criticism has been mounting against both Israel and GHF after chaos broke out last week when tens of thousands of starving Palestinians arrived at two new food distribution sites. The UN's humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, was scathing in his assessment to the UN Security Council late last month. 'It restricts aid to only one part of Gaza, while leaving other dire needs unmet,' he said. 'It makes aid conditional on political and military aims. It makes starvation a bargaining chip. It is cynical sideshow. A deliberate distraction. A fig leaf for further violence and displacement.' Video edited by Oscar Featherstone in London. Tareq Al Hilou in Gaza contributed to this report.
See - Sada Elbalad
a day ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Chile, Google Launch Trans-Pacific Undersea Cable Project
Israa Farhan Chile has signed a landmark agreement with Google to construct the first submarine fiber optic cable connecting South America directly to Asia and Oceania. The ambitious Humboldt Project, scheduled for completion by 2027, aims to enhance global digital connectivity and data resilience. Announced during a formal ceremony in Santiago, Chilean Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren emphasized the strategic importance of the project, calling it a step toward diversifying digital infrastructure and strengthening international collaboration. The undersea cable will span approximately 14,800 kilometers (9,200 miles), linking Valparaíso on Chile's Pacific coast with Sydney, Australia, via French Polynesia. Currently, Chile connects to the wider internet primarily through North America. The Humboldt Project will offer a significantly faster and more direct route for data traffic across the Pacific, promising reduced latency and increased bandwidth capacity. The cable is expected to benefit not only Chile but also regional neighbors including Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. Cristian Ramos, Alphabet's Director of Telecommunications Infrastructure for Latin America, confirmed that the new fiber network will be available to multiple users beyond Google, opening opportunities for technology firms across the continent. Initially unveiled in January 2024, the cable will feature a capacity of 144 terabytes per second and is designed for a 25-year lifespan. Chilean Telecommunications Minister Juan Carlos Muñoz highlighted its potential to revolutionize sectors such as telemedicine by dramatically cutting signal transmission delays. Google is investing an estimated $300 million to \$550 million in the project, while the Chilean government has pledged $25 million. The cable marks a major milestone in digital infrastructure and positions Chile as a critical hub in the evolving landscape of global internet connectivity. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream
