May 17, 2023
On May 17, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, addressed the United States Congress, specifically the Senate judiciary committee, emphasizing the critical necessity of regulating artificial intelligence (AI).
Altman emphasized the importance of effective governmental intervention in mitigating AI risks. He proposed implementing licensing and testing requirements for AI model development and release, ensuring safety standards and rigorous scrutiny by independent auditors. He argued that existing frameworks like Section 230 were unsuitable for regulating AI systems, highlighting the urgent need for AI regulation to balance its potential and safeguard against risks.
While acknowledging OpenAI’s aspirations to address global challenges, Altman cautioned that current AI systems were not yet capable of fully achieving these goals. He expressed concerns about the societal impact of large language model services, such as their influence on elections and misinformation during upcoming primaries.
Altman recognized that automation might replace certain jobs but emphasized that new and improved opportunities would emerge. He viewed tools like GPT as aids rather than replacements for human workers, suggesting that they could enhance productivity and augment human capabilities.
Gary Marcus, an emeritus professor at New York University, supported Altman’s testimony and called for the establishment of a dedicated regulatory agency for AI. This agency would provide a framework for comprehensive AI regulation, addressing the evolving challenges posed by AI technologies and ensuring their responsible and ethical development and deployment.
The sources for this piece include articles in Axios, Standard.Co and TheGuardian.
