The CEO of the artificial intelligence company OpenAI, Sam Altman, testified before the United States Senate on Tuesday and called for a new federal agency tasked with regulating the usage of powerful artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The company’s popular chatbot, ChatGPT, is free and able to answer questions with incredibly human-like responses.
The launch of ChatGPT sparked public concern that the technology could be used to cheat on homework and other similar issues. More broadly, issues of copyright violations, the ability of AI to spread lies and falsehoods, and large job loss and displacement are also of concern.
Altman proposed a U.S. or global agency that would license certain especially powerful AI and have the authority to revoke or change those licenses should safety standards be violated. In addition to this, Altman and other tech CEOs, along with government officials, have stressed the importance of breaking down existing civil rights and consumer protection laws that are broken by AI technology.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut opened the hearing with a speech read by a voice clone, trained on Blumenthal’s floor speeches and written by chatGPT in response to being asked to compose his opening remarks.
Multiple people have proposed tests and the disclosure of known risks associated with the deployment of AI, as well as regulating the technology itself. OpenAI, originally set up to prioritize safety, has become a business — Microsoft has invested heavily in the company and has integrated its technology into the search engine Bing.
Altman is also embarking on a tour this month of major cities and national capitals around the world to discuss AI technology with policymakers and members of the public. It appears that, while Congress is not looking to present sweeping new AI laws in the short-term, they are payin close attention to AI and the potential problems it can create.
Founded in 2015, OpenAI has grown into a formidable company. They have released multiple AI products, such as the image-maker DALL-E and the chatbot ChatGPT. Led by CEO Sam Altman, the company has been backed by tech billionaire Elon Musk with a mission to develop safe AI technology, making them an important player in the industry.
