  This paper focuses on the opportunities and the ethical and societal risks
posed by advanced AI assistants. We define advanced AI assistants as artificial
agents with natural language interfaces, whose function is to plan and execute
sequences of actions on behalf of a user, across one or more domains, in line
with the user's expectations. The paper starts by considering the technology
itself, providing an overview of AI assistants, their technical foundations and
potential range of applications. It then explores questions around AI value
alignment, well-being, safety and malicious uses. Extending the circle of
inquiry further, we next consider the relationship between advanced AI
assistants and individual users in more detail, exploring topics such as
manipulation and persuasion, anthropomorphism, appropriate relationships, trust
and privacy. With this analysis in place, we consider the deployment of
advanced assistants at a societal scale, focusing on cooperation, equity and
access, misinformation, economic impact, the environment and how best to
evaluate advanced AI assistants. Finally, we conclude by providing a range of
recommendations for researchers, developers, policymakers and public
stakeholders.
