On 14 March, GPT-4 was launched, while the European Commission and Parliament were discussing the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. The AI Act, introduced in 2021, is not meant to grant individual rights, but to regulate the providers of AI systems using a risk-based approach. John Higgins, who is the Chair of the Global Digital Foundation, was a guest on the London Futurists Podcast to discuss the AI Act. He explained that the Franco-German approach to regulation is to enshrine a framework of rules before the product or service is deployed. However, the Anglo-American approach is to launch the service and fix any issues once they become apparent. Higgins thinks that large language models are set to have a deep and broad impact and that the EU’s AI regulations should not be too burdensome. He believes that Europe’s priority should be to create better public services and enhance the productivity of its private sector companies.
John Higgins is a prominent figure in the technology industry and the Chair of the Global Digital Foundation, which is a think tank. He was the president of the British Computer Society (BCS), which is the professional body for the IT industry in the UK, until last year. Higgins has actively worked to shape digital policy in both the UK and the EU throughout his distinguished career.
GPT-4 is the latest artificial intelligence language model developed by OpenAI, a technology company that uses AI for various applications. OpenAI has been at the forefront of AI research, creating some of the most advanced AI systems available today. The company is known for its large language models and its efficient use of machine learning techniques.