OpenAI, the startup behind ChatGPT, wants the U.S. to consider mandating licenses for companies to develop powerful artificial intelligence like the kind underpinning its chatbot, its chief executive plans to tell Congress on Tuesday.
In his first appearance before a congressional panel, CEO Sam Altman is set to advocate licensing or registration requirements for AI with certain capabilities, his written testimony shows. That way, the U.S. can hold companies to safety standards, for instance testing systems before their release and publishing the results.
Regulation of AI is essential,” Altman said in the prepared remarks which were seen by Reuters.
For months, companies large and small have raced to bring increasingly dexterous AI to market, throwing endless data and billions of dollars at the challenge. Some critics fear the technology will exacerbate societal harms, among them prejudice and misinformation, while others warn AI could end humanity itself.
The White House has convened top technology CEOs including Altman to address AI. U.S. lawmakers likewise are seeking action to further the technology’s benefits and national security while limiting its misuse. Consensus is far from certain.
Altman did not comment on OASIS in the written testimony, though he advocated “a governance regime flexible enough to adapt to new technical developments” and “regularly update the appropriate safety standards.”
Technology experts have said licenses risked crowding out smaller players or losing relevance if AI evolves too quickly, though they would help the U.S. focus oversight and protect against abuses.
OpenAI is backed by Microsoft.
SOURCE:REUTERS