Experts warn of AI dangers, weigh in on ongoing EU regulations

Some artificial intelligence experts have signed a warning letter regarding uncontrolled technological development; The 22-word statement refers to AI as a “society-level risk”. Meanwhile, regulatory bodies work on finalizing their stance when it comes to the use of generative AI. How might proposed regulation or caution from inside the tech industry affect what AI tools are available to enterprises?

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Experts warn of AI risks

This week’s statement about AI risk from the Center for AI Safety was succinct: “Reducing the risk of extinction from AI must be a global priority alongside other societal-level risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”

The Center for AI Safety said the brief statement is meant to “open up the discussion” and encourage wider adoption. Signatories include Bill Gates, AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis.

The AI ​​Safety Center is a non-profit organization established to “reduce society-level risks” from AI. The center lists potential problems that AI could cause, including warfare, misinformation, radicalization of people through content creation, “deception” about AI’s own inner workings, or “a sudden loss of capabilities or goals.” emergence” cannot be predicted. Creator of AI.

Its statement follows an open letter from the Future of Life Institute in March 2023 that warned against the use of AI and asked AI firms to halt development for six months, possibly under a government moratorium .

Some of the concerns surrounding generative AI have been criticized for being utopian. Other groups, including the EU-US Business and Technology Council, plan to incorporate some of these ideas into upcoming policy. For example, a joint statement said that the Council is committed to “limiting AI challenges to universal human rights and shared democratic values”, and that the EU AI Act would allow predictive policing or the use of emotion recognition in border patrols. Limits the use of AI to ,

Look: Does Your Company Need an Artificial Intelligence Ethics Policy?

EU policy could shape global AI risk management rules

One of the signatories of the warning statement, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, was among the attendees at the EU-US Business and Technology Council meeting on Wednesday. According to a Bloomberg report, his company is wary of over-regulation in the EU but says it plans to comply.

European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager said after the council meeting that the council plans to draft an AI code of conduct within the next few weeks. It proposed external audits and watermarking as possible safeguards against misuse of AI-generated content.

Vestager wants to see her committee’s draft code of conduct before the two to three years it would take for a proposed AI Act to go through the EU legislative process. The AI ​​Act is ongoing and will be the next required reading in the EU. Parliament, possibly by June.

The Group of Seven nations is considering regulating generative AI like ChatGPT to ensure it is “accurate, reliable, safe and non-discriminatory,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in comments to Reuters. Used to be.

US government exploring AI’s “risks and opportunities”

The US government is working on a plan to “advance a cohesive and comprehensive approach to the risks and opportunities related to AI,” National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said in a statement obtained by Bloomberg.

In the United States, personal sentiment within the Biden administration after the council meeting is reportedly divided between those who want to use AI to remain competitive and those who oppose EU plans to regulate AI. stands by.

What do AI regulations mean for enterprises?

Organizations making AI-powered products or the hardware and software to run AI should keep an eye on progress on the EU’s proposed regulations. State regulations may also eventually come into play, such as California’s proposal to limit how AI can be used in hiring and other decisions that could affect a person’s quality of life.

Organizations should also consider how their own ethical policies might relate to when and where AI is used in human-facing, decision-making tasks.