Why it matters: Concerns about powerful AI systems are growing.
Altman appeared before Congress on May 16, urging lawmakers to regulate artificial intelligence. Congressional leaders shared concerns about the threats AI could pose, including the spread of misinformation and invasion of privacy.
“If this technology doesn’t work, I think it could go very wrong, and we want to be very vocal about it,” Altman said in testimony before members of the Senate subcommittee. Stated.
In March, more than 1,000 technology leaders and researchers, including Tesla and Twitter CEO Elon Musk, called for a moratorium on developing cutting-edge AI systems, calling for a moratorium on the tool. warned that it “posed a serious risk to society”. both society and humans. “
In a recent memo, OpenAI leaders said, “Within the next decade, AI systems will surpass the skill level of experts in most disciplines and be as productive as one of today’s largest companies.” We will be able to do it,” he said.
Background: Technology giants are competing for dominance in fast-growing markets.
The latest AI tools have the potential to upend the economics of the Internet, turning today’s tech giants into yesterday’s and creating the next industry powerhouses.
Tech companies have spent billions on AI amid growing concerns about its potential to match human reasoning and destroy jobs.Goldman Sachs recently estimated that AI could automate 300 million full-time jobs.
BuzzFeed just launched a chatbot that provides recipe recommendations.
What’s next: Congress is catching up.
At a hearing last week, Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, chairman of the Senate Committee, acknowledged that Congress has not kept up with the new technology. He added that the hearing was the first in a series to “write the rules” of AI’s potential and, ultimately, AI.
“Our goal is to demystify and hold accountable these new technologies to avoid some of the mistakes of the past,” he said.
But over the years, partisan strife and heavy lobbying by the tech industry have stalled dozens of bills aimed at tightening privacy, speech and safety regulations.
