The increasing use of AI in various industries and the potential risks it poses to society, national security, and the economy has drawn attention from government officials and experts. As technology continues to advance, it is crucial that ethical considerations and safety concerns are addressed to ensure the benefits of AI can be realised without negative consequences.
US President Joe Biden has emphasised the need for technology companies to ensure their artificial intelligence (AI) products are safe before making them public, and that AI companies have a responsibility to address the risks to society, national security, and the economy posed by AI.
Speaking at a meeting of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Biden stated that AI could help with challenges such as disease and climate change but it remains to be seen whether the technology is dangerous. He also called for Congress to pass bipartisan privacy legislation to regulate the personal data that technology companies collect, ban advertising targeted at children, and prioritise health and safety in product development.
Biden highlighted the negative impacts that powerful technologies, such as social media, can have on mental health and feelings of hopelessness, particularly among young people when used without proper safeguards.
The shares of companies employing AI, including C3.ai, Guardforce AI, BigBear.ai, and SoundHound AI, fell sharply before Biden’s meeting.
In addition, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy has urged society to pause as it considers the ramifications of AI, while the tech ethics group Center for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Policy has requested that the US Federal Trade Commission stop OpenAI from issuing new commercial releases of GPT-4, which can generate written responses to requests that are almost human-like.
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