ChatGPT: OpenAI CEO says it’s ‘crucial’ to regulate AIs – 05/16/2023 – Tech

The CEO of OpenAI, the startup behind ChatGPT, told a US Senate panel on Tuesday that the use of artificial intelligence to interfere with election integrity is a “significant area of ​​concern,” adding that the sector needs regulation.

“I’m nervous about it,” Sam Altman said of elections and AI. “I think we also need rules, guidelines about what is expected in terms of disclosure from a company that provides a model.”

For months, companies large and small have raced to bring ever more versatile AI to market, throwing endless data and billions of dollars into the challenge. Some critics fear that the technology exacerbates social harm, including prejudice and misinformation, while others warn that AI could end humanity itself.

“There is no way to put this genie in a bottle. Globally, this is exploding,” said Senator Cory Booker, one of many lawmakers having doubts about how best to regulate AI.

Senator Mazie Hirono has noted the danger of misinformation as the 2024 election approaches.

“In the election context, for example, I saw a photo of former President Trump being arrested by the NYPD [Polícia de Nova York] and it went viral,” she said, questioning Altman if he found the fake image harmful.

Altman responded that creators should make it clear when an image is generated rather than factual.

At a congressional hearing for the first time, the CEO suggested that, in general, the US should consider licensing and testing requirements for developing AI models.

In written testimony, Altman defended licensing or registration requirements for AI with certain features. In this way, the US could require companies to comply with security standards, for example by testing systems before they are released and publishing the results.

The White House has called on top tech CEOs, including Altman, to address AI, as US lawmakers also seek action to advance the technology’s benefits and national security by limiting its misuse. Consensus is far from being reached.

An OpenAI official recently proposed the creation of a US licensing agency for AI, which could be called the Office for AI Security and Infrastructure, or OASIS, for its acronym in English, reported Reuters.

Altman said regulating artificial intelligence (AI) is “crucial” to limiting the risks of using this technology.

He urged Congress to impose new rules on big tech companies, despite deep political divisions that have blocked legislation to regulate the internet for years.

“We believe that regulatory intervention by governments will be crucial to mitigate the risks of increasingly powerful models”, assessed the 38-year-old businessman.

“It is critical that the most powerful AI develop with democratic values, which means that America’s leadership is critical,” he said, testifying on the impact of AI before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee.

The launch of ChatGPT, in November, increased the interest of the public, but also of companies, in the so-called generative AI, that is, that capable of creating content, texts, images, sounds and videos.

Generative AI stirs passions and many people worry about its potential impact on many professions, with possible massive job cuts, and fundamentally on society as a whole.

“OpenAI was founded on the belief that artificial intelligence has the potential to improve almost every aspect of our lives, but it also creates serious risks,” admitted Altman.

“One of my biggest fears is that we, this industry, this technology, will cause significant harm to society,” he said. “If this technology goes the wrong way, it could go very far (…) And we want to work with the government to prevent this from happening.”

The entrepreneur recalled that, although OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, is a private institution, it is controlled by a non-profit organization, which obliges it to “work for a wide distribution of the benefits of AI and maximize the security of the systems AI based”.

Altman has regularly voiced his support for establishing a regulatory framework for AI, preferably at an international level.

“I know it seems naive to propose something like that, it seems very difficult” to achieve, but “there are precedents”, he assured, giving the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as an example.