Beyond the Arctic, the West Strives to Control AI – POLITICO

AI For Business


Press play to listen to this article

Artificial intelligence speaks out.

Luleå, Sweden — Top European and U.S. officials will meet in Sweden on Wednesday for talks on technology and trade on how to crack down on one of the toughest problems facing the world: artificial intelligence. I tried to find the answer to the question.

Over an hour-long lunch of cod loin and chocolate pralines, officials in Washington and Brussels aim to prevent harm from cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies known as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s generative AI. created a voluntary “code of conduct”. Bard. Within months, this technology took the world by storm, sparking hope and anxiety for the future of humanity.

While some are excited about AI’s potential to generate computer code and solve healthcare problems, they fear AI could put millions out of work and even threaten national security. some people do.

European Digital Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told reporters at the EU-US Trade and Technology Conference (TTC) summit in the small industrial town of Luleå, 150 kilometers south of the European Union (EU). Islam needs to show that we are as fast as technology.” Arctic.

The TTC has grown into a biannual meeting where senior transatlantic leaders like US Secretary of State Antony Brinken and European Union Trade Secretary Valdis Dombrowskis share common ground on everything from semiconductors to green technology investments. Discuss your approach. This week’s fourth edition focuses mainly on how to fight back against China, with the two countries still struggling to come to terms.

But when it comes to the rise of AI, the US and EU are increasingly interested in moving forward together.

US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimond said generative AI “is advancing at a pace unmatched by any other technology.” “It will take some time for the U.S. Congress, Congress and other regulators to catch up,” she said.

However, the joint plan is still only a draft at best. Mr. Vestager told POLITICO that the voluntary code of conduct is now a two-page explanatory document prepared by the European Commission, which Mr. Vestager personally handed to Mr. Raimondo on Wednesday.

The goal, according to Danish politicians plan to develop non-binding standards on transparency, risk audits and other technical details for companies developing technology. It will be presented to G7 leaders as a joint transatlantic proposal in the fall.

With mandated AI regulations years away, voluntary norms are at best a stopgap measure until binding legislation is enacted.

“Democracy needs to show that we are as fast as technology,” European Digital Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said while attending the EU-US Trade and Technology Council. JOnas Ekstromer/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images

“I agree to involve my colleagues in working on this issue in order to adapt to the G7 process,” Vestager told reporters.

If this effort fails, it could leave room for China to spread its own authoritarian version of the technology around the world.

crossroads between Europe and America

But there remains a big AI-driven chasm between Washington and Brussels on rules.

Bolstered by its track record of creating many of the digital rulebooks that currently dominate the Western world, the EU will launch mandatory rules on artificial intelligence that require companies not to use technology in pre-defined ‘harmful’ ways. is being enacted. European officials hope to finalize the EU’s AI law by the end of December, after more than two years of intense political negotiations.

But European countries and MEPs who need to agree on a final document are at odds over some key aspects of the document, particularly facial recognition in public. Meanwhile, the tech industry hesitates, believing oversight of generative AI to be too cumbersome.

The work in Brussels will encourage US industry investing billions in AI to come up with concrete legislation, much like what happened when the EU began enacting legislation on privacy and online content. I started paying attention to the EU.

The US, on the other hand, prefers a more non-intrusive approach, relying on industry to play its own safeguards. As political divisions continue within Congress, it is unlikely that an AI-specific bill will pass before next year’s US election.

The Biden administration has made international cooperation on AI a policy priority. Especially since most of the big AI companies such as Google, Microsoft and OpenAI are headquartered in the US. Helping these companies compete with their Chinese rivals is also a national security priority for Washington.

In recent weeks, the White House has opened its doors to industry, inviting the CEOs of four major AI companies to a closed-door debate earlier this month. It launched an effort to make tech companies commit to self-regulation on responsible behavior. And when it comes to setting international standards, it has driven the risk management framework developed in the United States by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

building a western approach

On Wednesday, senior US and EU officials attempted to sidestep these shortcomings with an approach based on existing global principles proposed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. They aimed to go further than the OECD by specifically pointing out potential pitfalls of generative AI.

A synopsis agreement would give companies more certainty about how this emerging technology will be policed ​​by the two largest economies in the West. The goal is to expedite the development of self-regulation, but it will likely build on existing rules on AI in Europe, and it is unclear whether U.S. officials or companies would support such an approach.

Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, the technology company behind ChatGPT, said at an event in Paris last week during a European tour that included Warsaw, Madrid, Munich and London. The technical chief met with Vestager virtually Wednesday to discuss a proposed voluntary code of conduct.

Still, questions remain about whether the EU speaks with one voice.

Some Brussels officials hope a so-called AI deal could bring forward some of the bloc’s rules is another voluntary pledge companies can sign in connection with Europe’s upcoming AI law, which is likely to come into force in 2026.

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said regulatory coordination with like-minded partners such as the United States would build on existing European approaches. “If others want to be inspired, of course they’re welcome,” he said.



Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *