OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, urging Congress to pass legislation to regulate the development of AI at a time when AI is gaining traction both within and outside the tech industry. asked.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Altman said, “We believe government regulatory interventions will be important in de-risking increasingly powerful models.”
“For example, the U.S. government may consider a combination of licensing and testing requirements for the development and release of AI models that exceed thresholds of competence.”
IBM Chief Privacy Trust Officer Christina Montgomery and New York University professor Gary Marcus have likewise testified at the hearing, regulating AI and allowing users to recognize when they are interacting with AI. He called for greater technology transparency.
AI, especially generative AI, which can be used to generate text, images, etc. using models trained on data collected over the internet, has exploded in popularity since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022. increased. Since then, Microsoft (MSFT) has invested billions in his OpenAI and launched his Bing search engine and chatbot powered by generative AI.
Last week, Google (GOOG, GOOGL) unveiled a suite of new technologies using generative AI as part of the Google I/O conference, including versions of its powerful search engine.
During the hearing, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Connecticut) used a version of ChatGPT trained on previous floor addresses and a kind of AI voice duplication software that read out a completely fabricated opening statement. and explained the power of generative AI. Like something Blumenthal might have said himself.
“If I had heard it at home, I might have thought that voice was mine, my words, but in fact the voice was not mine. The words are not mine. It was,” explained Blumenthal.
During the hearing, senators raised several questions about the potential for AI to be used to manipulate elections and cause other real-world harm.
“Will it be like the printing press? Knowledge, power and learning will spread far and wide across the landscape, empowering ordinary, everyday people, which in turn will lead to greater prosperity and, above all, greater freedom.” Will it connect?” asked Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mississippi).
“Or will it be something like an atomic bomb? Were there great technological advances, but the serious and horrific consequences of which continue to haunt us to this day?”
Altman, meanwhile, said he sees the technology as a “press moment.” But when asked about potential abuse, the CEO said he is seeking help from the government.
“My biggest fear is that we, this sector, this technology, this industry, are doing serious harm to the world,” Altman said. “If this technology doesn’t work, I think it could go very wrong, and we want to be very vocal about it. We’re working with the government to do things like that We want to prevent that from happening.”
Both Altman and Marcus called on senators to create a new regulatory body that could oversee AI companies and provide licenses to deploy AI models.
Senator Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) likens the idea to how energy companies need a permit to build a nuclear power plant.
Senators asked many questions during the nearly three-hour hearing, but few concrete next steps.
And as senators and witnesses have repeatedly pointed out, technology will continue to advance regardless of whether regulations are introduced.
To Daniel Howley, technical editor at Yahoo Finance.keep up with him @Daniel Howley
Click here for the latest technology business news, reviews, and helpful articles on technology and gadgets.
Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
First edition issued
