Foundations of AI: A Critical Report
On the Opportunities and Risks of Foundation Models
This report provides a thorough account of the opportunities and risks of foundation models, ranging from their capabilities (e.g., language, vision, robotics, reasoning, human interaction) and technical principles (e.g., modelarchitectures, training procedures, data, systems, security, evaluation, theory) to their applications (e.g., law, healthcare, education) and societal impact (e.g., inequity, misuse, economic and environmental impact, legal and ethical considerations).Foundation models are based on conventional deep learning and transfer learning, their scale results in new emergentcapabilities, and their effectiveness across so many tasks incentivizes homogenization.Homogenization provides powerful leverage but demands caution, as the defects of the foundation model are inherited by all the adapted models downstream.To tackle these challenges, we believe much of the critical research on foundation models will require deep interdisciplinary collaboration commensurate with their fundamentally sociotechnical nature.
