Experts want to pause the development of AI to make sure the technology is having a positive impact. 

Elon Musk, along with a group of experts and industry executives, is calling for a six-month pause in the development of AI systems that are more powerful than OpenAI's latest GPT-4 release. 

They have signed an open letter that cites potential risks to society and highlights the need for shared safety protocols developed by independent experts. 

“Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable,” said the letter issued by the Future of Life Institute. 

Musk, who co-founded industry leader OpenAI, has previously expressed frustration over regulator efforts to regulate the autopilot system and has sought a regulatory authority to ensure AI development serves the public interest.

The open letter was signed by more than 1,000 people, including researchers at Alphabet-owned DeepMind, and AI heavyweights Yoshua Bengio and Stuart Russell. OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman did not sign the letter, nor did Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella, the chief executives of Alphabet and Microsoft, respectively.

The concerns come as AI attracts US lawmakers' attention, with questions about its impact on national security and education. 

The European Union's police force Europol has also warned about the potential misuse of AI in phishing attempts, disinformation, and cybercrime. 

Meanwhile, the UK government has unveiled proposals for an “adaptable” regulatory framework around AI.

In Australia, about two-thirds of people say not enough is being done to protect from unsafe AI. 

Consultants at KPMG and the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) have found Australians expect AI to be regulated, and want an independent regulator to be created for the technology.

“While regulatory frameworks have been developed to tackle issues related to privacy, there has been little progress towards a more holistic framework that incorporates AI,” the authors found.

The authors say Australians are getting “over the hype” of AI and have moved into the “trough of disillusionment”.

Industry Minister Ed Husic will soon release a review into recent rapid developments in AI and how the government should respond.