July 22nd 2023.
The Biden-Harris Administration has taken the potential risks of artificial intelligence seriously. In March, President Biden had a meeting with experts in San Francisco to discuss the promise and risks associated with the field. Vice-President Kamala Harris followed up with a meeting with consumer protection, labor, and civil rights leaders to discuss how to leverage the power of AI while still protecting people from harm and bias.
Today, the White House announced a new agreement with several leading technology companies and firms to commit to voluntary safety, security, and trust measures. This follows the AI Bill of Rights framework the administration laid out in 2022. Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Inflection met with the Biden Administration to discuss the responsible development of artificial intelligence.
The press release stated that this is part of a broader effort to ensure AI is developed safely and responsibly, and to protect Americans from harm and discrimination. However, the AI Now Institute’s executive director Amba Kak expressed her concern that “A closed-door deliberation with corporate actors resulting in voluntary safeguards isn’t enough.” She argued that the public needs a wide-ranging public deliberation and that this could lead to different results that may more directly impact the business models of the companies involved.
Inflection CEO Mustafa Suleyman defended the meeting, pointing out the competitive nature of the industry and the significance of the “red-team” tests the companies agreed to, which are like the security tests banks use. He believes that this voluntary agreement is a significant commitment.
The agreement between the White House and the technology companies is a start, but it remains to be seen whether it will actually have the desired outcome. As AI is used for more things across more industries, the public will continue to talk about how it should be used in an equitable and fair manner. Ultimately, only time will tell if the White House’s initiative will be successful.
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