Ng: AI safety is a function of the application, not the technology
Andrew Ng · Andrew Ng: Building Faster with AI · Y Combinator · Jul 10, 2025 · at 30:41
At Y Combinator AI Startup School, AI pioneer Andrew Ng explains why he prefers the term 'Responsible AI' over 'AI Safety' when discussing technology risks.
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“Safety is not a function of technology. It's a function of how we apply it. So like electric motor, you know, You can't, the maker of electric motor can't guarantee that no one will ever use it for an unsafe downstream task. Like using electric, electric motor can be used to build a dialysis machine, electric vehicle can be used to build a smart bomb, but the electric motor manufacturer can't control how we use downstream. So safety is not a function of the electric motor, it's a function of how you apply it. And I think the same thing for AI. AI is neither safe nor unsafe. It is how you apply it that makes it safe or unsafe.”
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