AI Safety Report: What’s at Stake for Jobs, Environment, and Deepfakes?

The International AI Safety Report, released on Wednesday, serves as a global policymaker guide, addressing challenges posed by rapidly advancing AI.

First announced at the November 2023 AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park, England, it compiles insights from top international experts on AI risks.

The report warns that AI's impact on jobs could be "profound," especially if AI agents—tools that operate without human input—become highly capable.

While some economists believe job losses may be balanced by new opportunities in unaffected sectors, AI’s environmental impact is growing.

Datacentres, which power AI models, consume large amounts of electricity, and water use for cooling could threaten both the environment and human access to water.

It also warned that new AI models can generate step-by-step guides for creating pathogens and toxins beyond PhD-level expertise, though their usability by novices remains uncertain.

The report highlighted that AI deepfakes are being used for fraud and non-consensual content creation, noting that detection is challenging as digital watermarks can be removed.