OpenAI warned of the urgent need for new regulations in the field of artificial intelligence. Last week, the company met with members of the two main parties in Congress to discuss new laws that would limit AI developers. This action comes amid growing concerns about the potential dangers of AI, including job losses and increasing cyberattacks.
Concerns About the Speed of Technological Advancement
AI models are developing at an astonishing pace, creating challenges for engineers in predicting or controlling them. While calls for regulation have long existed, recent hacks from companies like Hugging Face have raised new concerns, and this technology has reached a point where it can cause serious harm.
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Chris Lehen, OpenAI's Global Affairs Officer, said: "We have clearly stated that the capabilities of the technology are at a different point, and that is why we feel this issue needs to be addressed urgently." He added that while it does not seem that the President, the Speaker of the House, or the Senate Majority Leader are interested in this idea, this should not be a cause for concern.
Bipartisan Plans for Regulation
On Tuesday, OpenAI supported a bipartisan plan in the House of Representatives that would require leading AI companies to hire external evaluators to ensure compliance with safety standards. Companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are also negotiating to create a private standard-setting body that would operate similarly to a financial regulatory agency.
An executive order that could establish such a body has support within the White House, but President Trump has backed away from the plan after a phone call with Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta. Trump clearly stated in a series of social media posts that he is not concerned about the development of technology by the industry, and in his view, the only concern should be the lack of competition from China.
He also specifically reacted negatively to comments from Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic and OpenAI, regarding the need for regulation. Trump stated: "The only control or 'protection' needed for AI is a strong and smart President, and the United States has that quality to perfection!"
OpenAI's Collaboration with the Government
While Anthropic has repeatedly challenged the government on how to use AI in warfare, OpenAI has described its relationship with the government as operational. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, recently met with the President at the midterm convention in Dallas. Although it does not seem that a law will be passed before the midterm elections, Lehen hopes that bipartisan consensus on AI regulation can pave the way for the White House.
Lehen said: "If we reach a point where there is real bipartisan support, this could certainly help create momentum for the need for this issue."
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