Stop overhyping AI, scientists tell von der Leyen (www.euractiv.com)

More than 70 scientists have urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to retract a high-profile claim that artificial intelligence could reach human-level intelligence “next year,” a leap she made after previously saying such parity was expected around 2050. In an open letter they argue her statement amplifies industry marketing rather than empirical evidence, noting the Commission based its claim on a desk review and public remarks by AI figures such as Yoshua Bengio, the CEOs of Anthropic and OpenAI, and Nvidia’s CEO. Signatories include UN high‑level AI advisers Abeba Birhane and Virginia Dignum and Belgian researcher Luc Steels, who say premature prognoses erode scientific credibility and mislead public and policy debate. For the AI/ML community the dispute highlights a core tension: responsible policy requires preparedness for difficult scenarios, but not at the cost of overstating technical maturity. The scientists stress there is no formal proof or consensus that human‑level general intelligence is imminent, and warn that policy shaped by hype risks skewing research priorities, regulatory design, and public trust. The Commission replied that its intent was scenario planning not prediction, saying AI is developing faster and less predictably than older forecasts — underscoring ongoing uncertainty about timelines and the need for careful, evidence‑based communication.