United States: The White House has told the CEOs of US AI giants that they have a “moral” responsibility to protect society from the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.
The CEOs of Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic attended the two-hour meeting about the development and regulation of AI at the invitation of US Vice President Kamala Harris.
The meeting, which lasted two hours, focused on the development and regulation of AI and included a “candid and constructive conversation” on the necessity for tech firms to be more transparent with the government about their AI technology. Additionally, the discussion focused on ensuring the safety of AI products and protecting them from malicious attacks.
US President Mr. Joe Biden, who briefly attended the meeting, told the CEOs that the work they were carrying out had “enormous potential and enormous danger.”
“I know you understand that. And I hope you can educate us as to what you think is most needed to protect society as well as advance it,” Mr. Biden stated.
Ms. Harris remarked in a statement after the meeting that tech companies “must comply with existing laws to protect the American people” and “ensure the safety and security of their products.”
Following the meeting, OpenAI CEO Mr. Sam Altman noted that the group was “surprisingly on the same page” regarding what needed to be done. This meeting comes on the heels of the Biden administration’s announcement of a $140 million investment in seven new AI research institutes, the establishment of an independent committee to conduct public assessments of existing AI systems, and the creation of guidelines on the use of AI by the federal government.
Although the swift development of artificial intelligence has brought excitement to the technology community, there are worries about the potential negative consequences on society and the potential for the technology to eventually become unmanageable by its developers.