At a Senate hearing on May 16, Altman suggested that government intervention was necessary to keep the AI industry safe, and proposed the creation of a body to regulate AI systems and companies.
Altman’s appeal to Congress comes amid an international call for regulation of AI given the potential impact generative AI and future advances will have on areas such as employment, education, privacy and security. was done in
Senator Richard Blumenthal, who heads the Senate’s subcommittee on privacy, technology and law, played a voice recording that resembled him at the beginning of the hearing, but actually trained his speech patterns. A voice clone read out the opening address written by ChatGPT.
Blumenthal used this as an example of how AI can inherently affect privacy and security. “Ten years from now, we will probably look back on ChatGPT and GPT-4 the same way we looked back on the first mobile phones, the big, clunky things we carried around,” he prefaced.
“But we recognize that we are on the brink of a new era. This audio and my performance may strike you as curious or humorous, but it struck a chord with me.” What if I had heard it, and if it had expressed support for the surrender of Ukraine and the leadership of Vladimir Putin.”
In response to the progress being made and future developments in AI, Altman advocated regulation and governance and suggested various ways the AI industry could be addressed in the future.
In addition to licensing and de-licensing AI systems, Altman proposed that the government introduce various safeguards, such as safety standards for highly functional AI models and safety reviews before deploying AI systems.
He also called on lawmakers to require independent audits by outside experts outside the government or AI companies in question to ensure AI systems operate within legislative guidelines.
“OpenAI was founded on the belief that artificial intelligence has the potential to improve nearly every aspect of our lives, but at the same time it is a serious threat that we need to manage together. It’s based on the belief that it also creates significant risks,” Altman told lawmakers.
“We are here because people love this technology. We must cooperate. ”
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Altman’s testimony was joined by two other AI experts, Christina Montgomery, head of privacy trusts at IBM, and Gary Marcus, professor of psychology and neuroscience at New York University. All three supported federal and global governance of the AI industry.
Senator Blumenthal said the hearing was just the first in a series of committee hearings.
