AI 'will cause real damage,' Microsoft chief economist warns

Microsoft is working to erecting guardrails to help mitigate the potential danger from AI tools, Schwarz said. The company is already using OpenAI’s ChatGPT in its Bing search product, and Google released its rival Bard chatbot in March. — Image by DCStudio on Freepik

Artificial intelligence will be dangerous in the hands of unscrupulous people, according to Microsoft Corp chief economist Michael Schwarz.

"I am confident AI will be used by bad actors, and yes it will cause real damage,” Schwarz said during a World Economic Forum panel in Geneva on Wednesday. "It can do a lot damage in the hands of spammers with elections and so on.”