OpenAI Leaders Call for Regulation

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Facts

  • Co-founders of ChatGPT developer OpenAI, Greg Brockman and Ilya Sutskever, as well as CEO Sam Altman, have called for the regulation of "superintelligent" artificial intelligence (AI), specifically pointing to the need for a global body like the International Atomic Energy Agency.1
  • In a statement posted to the company website, they said such a watchdog would need to "inspect systems, require audits, test for compliance with safety standards, (and) place restrictions on degrees of deployment and levels of security."2
  • Following a Goldman Sachs estimate that AI could replace 300M jobs, the letter added that "it's conceivable that within the next 10 years, A.I. systems will exceed expert skill level in most domains, and carry out as much productive activity as one of today’s largest corporations."3
  • In the short term, they said there should be "some degree of coordination" between AI companies, through either a government-led project or collective agreement, to ensure the technology integrates with society smoothly.1
  • This follows Altman's testimony about the dangers of AI before the US Senate last week, during which he suggested governments should introduce "licensing and testing requirements for the development of AI."4
  • The US, which hasn't passed a comprehensive tech law in years, has moved slowly on AI regulation compared to other countries, particularly in Europe. Leaders of the world's largest economies at the G-7 Summit on Saturday did make clear that a universal standard for AI development was a priority, though they offered no specifics.2

Sources: 1Guardian, 2Washington Post, 3New York Times, and 4News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by TechCrunch. While OpenAI's calls for regulation still remain quite vague, the fact that the world's leader in AI development is voicing such alarm is a positive sign. Altman and other AI developers certainly enjoy the power and profit that come from their companies, but, at the moment they're on the side of good, and lawmakers should team up with them before actual bad actors get their hands on these robotic threats to humanity.
  • Narrative B, as provided by The Verge. AI executives like Sam Altman may seem like they're calling for ethical regulation of the industry, but in reality, they're playing sleight-of-hand games with politicians. The fact that the US government is taking advice from OpenAI, whose top investor is Microsoft, shows regulatory capture is likely coming for the AI industry. Once this happens, you can forget about market competition and holding Big Tech accountable, as these Silicon Valley executives will have a monopoly on both the technology and those hired to regulate it.

Predictions