MIT AI Risk Repository · domain 6: Socioeconomic & Environmental
6.4 Competitive dynamics
AI developers or state-like actors competing in an AI ‘race’ by rapidly developing, deploying, and applying AI systems to maximize strategic or economic advantage, increasing the risk they release unsafe and error-prone systems.
- 21
- 12
- 3
- 1
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Human | 14 |
| Other | 5 |
| AI | 2 |
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Intentional | 9 |
| Unintentional | 9 |
| Other | 3 |
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Other | 11 |
| Post-deployment | 5 |
| Pre-deployment | 5 |
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 |
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Risk Category | 6 |
| Risk Sub-Category | 14 |
| Additional evidence | 1 |
Risk entries
Browse and export all- Increased competition
"Increased competition - The inappropriate or unethical use of technology to gain market share."
- Geopolitical risk
"As AI is increasingly seen as a powerful technology, countries are racing to develop it ahead of their geopolitical rivals, a competition that could lead to geopolitical tensions [138], [139]... The...
- Worsened conflict
"Cooperation and conflict: we’re seeing more focus and investment on the kinds of AI capabilities that make conflict more likely and severe, rather than those likely to improve cooperation. So, on our...
- Resource conflicts driven by AI development
"AI development may itself become a new flash point for conflicts—causing more conflict to occur— especially conflicts over AI-relevant resources (such as data centres, semiconductor manufacturing fac...
- Type 4: Willful indifference
As a side effect of a primary goal like profit or influence, AI creators can willfully allow it to cause widespread societal harms like pollution, resource depletion, mental illness, misinformation, o...
- Competitive pressures in GPAI product release
"In competitive situations, developers of general-purpose AI systems might cut corners on the safety evaluation of their GPAI model and instead spend more time and effort on the capabilities of those...
- Opacity (industry opacity)
"Opacity is not solely due to the technological complexity that limits developers’ and users’ understanding of how generative models function on a technical level. It is further exacerbated by the pra...
- AI Race (Environmental/Structural)
"The immense potential of AIs has created competitive pressures among global players contending for power and influence. This “AI race” is driven by nations and corporations who feel they must rapidly...
- Military AI Arms Race
"The development of AIs for military applications is swiftly paving the way for a new era in military technology, with potential consequences rivaling those of gunpowder and nuclear arms in what has b...
- Corporate AI Race
"Although competition between companies can be beneficial, creating more useful products for consumers, there are also pitfalls. First, the benefits of economic activity may be unevenly distributed, i...
- Destabilising political impacts from AI systems
"(e.g., polarization, legitimacy of elections), international political economy, or international security196 in terms of the balance of power, technology races and international stability, and the sp...
- Development of unsafe AGI
"The risks associated with the race to develop the first AGI, including the development of poor quality and unsafe AGI, and heightened political and control issues."
- Technological Maturity
"The technological maturity level describes how mature and error-free a certain technology is in a certain application context. If new technologies with a lower level of maturity are used in the devel...
- Risks from AI systems (Risks of supply chain security)
"The AI industry relies on a highly globalized supply chain. However, certain countries may use unilateral coercive measures, such as technology barriers and export restrictions, to create development...
- Security
"The international and national security threats, including cyber warfare, arms races, and geopolitical instability."
- Dangerous development races
"Competitive pressures could lead to the neglect of safety measures in AI development."
- Geopolitical competition for superiority
"Strategic competition between nations over AI capabilities could heighten global tensions and destabilize international relations."
- High-speed AI operations
"The fast operational speed of AI models and systems in competitive environments can lead to errors that are difficult to detect and correct in time."
- Technological arms race with autonomous weapons
- Economic harm (Unfair Market Practices)