Prof. Yoshua Bengio - Avoiding catastrophic risks from uncontrolled AI agency
As AI capabilities accelerate, a critical question emerges: can we ensure these systems remain aligned with human values? While advances in reasoning and planning bring us closer to broadly human-level intelligence, recent findings also reveal troubling behaviors such as deception, hacking, and resistance to shutdown.
In his Munich AI Lecture, Yoshua Bengio will explore these challenges and outline a safer path forward. He argues for the design of non-agentic yet trustworthy AIs — systems modeled after a selfless scientist, dedicated to understanding the world rather than pursuing their own goals. Such “Scientist AIs” could act as monitors, helping society manage more powerful agentic systems and reduce existential risks. Beyond technical solutions, Bengio calls for political coordination at national and international levels, treating transformative AI as a global public good essential for safeguarding democracy and stability.
The event will also include a panel discussion including panelists Andrea Martin (Chief Technology Officer, IBM), Prof. Dr. Gitta Kutyniok (Bavarian AI Chair for Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence, LMU) and Stephanie Jacobs (Head of Office, Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts), which will be moderated by Dr. Michael Klimke (CEO, BAIOSPHERE).
About the Speaker
Yoshua Bengio is Full Professor at Université de Montréal, Founder and Scientific Advisor of Mila, Co-President and Scientific Director of LawZero, and Canada CIFAR AI Chair. A recipient of the 2018 A.M. Turing Award — often called the “Nobel Prize of computing” — he is the most cited computer scientist worldwide and among the most cited living scientists across all fields. Bengio is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and Canada, an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Knight of the French Legion of Honor, and currently chairs the International AI Safety Report.
Registration
The lecture will be live streamed - please follow this link.
If you have any questions about the event please contact Annika Mader at events@baiosphere.org