Sam Altman is the CEO of OpenAI. The company has been at the forefront in artificial intelligence development over the past few months. He testified last week before lawmakers on the current state of AI and its potential. Despite Altman’s overall optimism regarding AI, calling it a “printing press moment,” he called for lawmakers to regulate it to keep it from causing legitimate harm in the world. Julia Zorthian is a writer for Times The owner of the coolest surname in the world is reported.
Joining Altman in testifying before the committee were two other AI experts, professor of Psychology and Neural Science at New York University Gary Marcus and IBM Chief Privacy & Trust Officer Christina Montgomery. Three witnesses backed governance of AI on both federal and international levels. Their approaches were slightly different.
“We have built machines that are like bulls in a china shop: Powerful, reckless, and difficult to control,” Marcus said. He suggested a similar oversight agency, such as the Food and Drug Administration. This would require creators to prove their AI’s safety and demonstrate that the benefits of AI outweigh the possible harms.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI asks Congress to regulate AI (msn.com).
The lawmakers then listed a variety of concerns about AI, ranging from the changes in military strategy to rights for artists and musicians. Zorthian continues,
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) asked about compensation for musicians and artists whose work was used to train the models, for example, and then create similar works with their styles or voices. Alex Padilla asked questions about language inclusivity, and how to provide the same technology across cultures. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) asked about protections for local news agencies, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) asked about how AI could impact military drones and change warfare. The other topics covered included assessing the risk of an AI industry that is concentrated in a few corporate powerhouses and ensuring children’s safety when using the tools.
Though the concerns are varied, they appear to be bipartisan. This makes it easier for people from both sides of the aisle to talk about AI.