The rise of AI: Experts, lawmakers issue warnings as technology rapidly evolves
WASHINGTON (TND) — Competition between companies that develop artificial intelligence is accelerating but some are attempting to clamp the brakes on the burgeoning industry to avoid unintended consequences.
Duke University computer science Professor Cynthia Rudin warns that we shouldn't wait to see how far AI can go before taking action.
Right now, all the tech companies are controlling us,” Rudin said. “If we don't sort it out, now, those tech companiesthey're going to get entrenched to the point where there's no way out of it.”
Washington is starting to pay attention but one lawmaker warns they're already behind the curve.
“One of the reasons [why] is because of the lightning speed at which technology and artificial intelligence is moving,” Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., told The National Desk earlier this month. “But also, we do move far too slowly on a number of issues in Congress, and I’m trying to at least get Congress more up to speed on both the amazing benefits of AI and the potential harms.”
Lieu is introducing a bill that would create a commission to make recommendations to Congress on what types of AI to regulate — and how. The issue is gaining momentum on Capitol Hill, with the Senate Judiciary Committee holding a hearing last week to assess the threats.
The subcommittee chairman "gave” an opening statement — completely fabricated by AI, saying, “Too often, we have seen what happens when technology outpaces regulation,” an AI version of Rep. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. "This is not the future we want."
"That voice was not mine. The words were not mine and the audio was an AI voice cloning software trained on my floor speeches,” Blumenthal later said.
But University of California-Irvine law professor Dan Burk argues that whatever regulation Congress lands on will likely be outpaced by technology, minimizing its effectiveness.
Tomorrow, it's going to look different, and whatever laws they enacted, are probably going to be the wrong laws,” Burk said.
There is bipartisan support for regulation. Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas says we've seen the harm this technology can do in authoritarian countries, adding that the U.S. needs to "prioritize the development of artificial intelligence that is safe, secure, and supplements human ability to ensure this rapidly advancing technology is used for good.”
Competition between companies that develop AI is heating up but is it time to hit the brakes?
