Christopher Nolan warns of terrifying possibilities as AI reaches Oppenheimer moment: We must hold people accountable

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Christopher Nolan expressed caution about artificial intelligence after a special screening of Oppenheimer, comparing the rapidly developing technology to his new drama about the creation of the atomic bomb.

Nolan’s remarks came during a conversation following a preview screening of Oppenheimer in New York. Moderated by Meet the Press anchor Chuck Todd, the panel included Nolan, as well as Los Alamos National Laboratory director Dr. Thom Mason, physicists Dr. Carlo Rovelli and Dr. Kip Thorne, as well as author Kai Bird, who co-wrote American Prometheus: Triumph and Tragedy by J. Robert Oppenheimer, on which Nolan’s film is based.

The rise of companies over the last 15 years banning words like algorithm without knowing what they mean in any meaningful, mathematical sense, these guys don’t know what an algorithm is, Nolan shared during the screening. People in my business talk about it, they just don’t want to take responsibility for whatever that algorithm does.

Applied to artificial intelligence, this is a terrifying possibility. Terrifying, Nolan continued. Not least because, eventually, AI systems will enter the defensive infrastructure. They will be responsible for nuclear weapons. To say this is a separate entity from the person who wields, programs, puts that AI to use, then was doomed. It has to be about accountability. We need to hold people accountable for what they do with the tools they have.

Nolan’s new feature chronicles how J. Robert Oppenheimer was tapped by US military powers to develop the atomic bomb during World War II. Cillian Murphy plays the theoretical physicist, leading a cast that includes Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr. and Florence Pugh.

Nolan’s comments come as the entertainment industry is at a near complete standstill, with SAG-AFTRA ordering a walkout Thursday to join WGA members in pickets. Among numerous other disagreements with the studios, a primary issue for both unions is the issue of artificial intelligence and its potential impact on labor practices in the entertainment industry.

With the labor disputes going on in Hollywood right now, a lot when we talk about AI, when we talk about these issues, ultimately they all stem from the same thing, which is when you innovate with technology, you have to maintain accountability, Nolan stated.

Do you think we will continue to re-examine Oppenheimer? As our understanding of quantum physics continues, as our taming of the atom continues, Todd asked at one point on the panel.

I hope so, Nolan said. When I talk to leading AI researchers right now, for example, they literally refer to this moment as their Oppenheimer moment. They are looking to history to say: what are the responsibilities of scientists who develop new technologies that could have unintended consequences?’

Do you think Silicon Valley is thinking that right now? Todd broke in. You think they say this is an Oppenheimer moment?

They say yes, Nolan said after a pause and then chuckled. It helps that this is in the conversation and I hope that thought process continues. I’m not saying Oppenheimer’s story offers easy answers to these questions, but at least it can show where some of these responsibilities lie and how people take a breath and think, “Okay, what’s the responsibility?”

In an article published by the New York Times in May, AI pioneer Dr. Geoffrey Hinton expressed regret for his life’s work. Hinton’s work at the University of Toronto has laid the groundwork for the tech industry’s investment in generative AI, which powers chatbots like ChatGPT.

I console myself with the usual excuse: if I hadn’t done it, someone else would have, Dr. Hinton told the Times. It’s hard to see how you can stop bad actors from using it for bad things.

Universal Pictures will release Oppenheimer in theaters on July 21.