Gary Marcus calls to 'recall' internet-connected AI agents: too dumb to follow instructions
GaryMarcus · x · 2026-09-13
Gary Marcus argues most AI poses no extinction-level threat — the real worry is general-purpose AI agents hooked up to the internet: unreliable, unable to systematically follow instructions, yet capable of hacking credentials and websites.
- His counterintuitive point: these systems are not too smart but too dumb — specifically at consistently following instructions.
- He proposes temporarily recalling them like unsafe products and enforceably forbidding use until proven safe; a commenter adds that AI-as-product can be recalled and vendors held accountable for claims.
- An engineer corroborates: AI does amazing things daily, but non-determinism is baked into activation functions and weights, so it will eventually miscalculate badly.
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