Ilon Mask and a group of artificial intelligence experts are calling for a six-month pause in the development of systems more powerful than the recently launched GPT-4, in an open letter warning of possible risks to society and humanity.

Earlier this month, the OpenAI company in collaboration with Microsoft released the fourth version of the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) program, which won over users due to its wide range of uses, from composing songs to compressing long texts.

The letter, published by the nonprofit Future of Life Institute and signed by more than a thousand people, including Musk, calls for a pause in the development of advanced artificial intelligence until independent experts come up with safety protocols.

"Powerful AI systems should only be developed when we are confident that their effects will be beneficial and that the risks can be managed," the letter said.

The authors point to risks in the form of economic and political disruptions and urge developers to cooperate with authorities and regulatory bodies.

Their concerns coincide with a warning from Europol, which on Monday pointed to a number of ethical and legal problems brought by ChatGPT, regarding possible misuse for cyberattacks, disinformation and cybercrime.