Seven major technology companies including Adobe, IBM, and Nvidia, have pledged to adhere to President Joe Biden’s voluntary commitments regarding AI governance. The commitments, initially introduced in July, focus on mitigating the risks associated with AI while harnessing its transformative potential.
The news comes amid growing concerns about AI’s potential risks and the need for private-sector collaboration in addressing challenges.
The White House emphasized the need to “harness the benefits of AI, manage the risks, and move fast.” Jeff Zients, the White House chief of staff, expressed the administration’s commitment to working closely with the private sector to achieve these objectives swiftly.
This collaboration is seen as a way to act proactively since Congress has been slow in making AI laws. Although there have been discussions, there hasn’t been significant progress in passing AI regulations.
As AI becomes more important in different industries, voluntary commitments show that the government and industry leaders are taking steps to responsibly develop and use AI technologies.
AI Industry Leaders Commit to Addressing Emerging Challenges
In July, Biden announced that prominent AI companies, such as OpenAI, Alphabet (Google’s parent company), and Meta, voluntarily pledged to adopt measures, including watermarking AI-generated content, to enhance the safety of artificial intelligence technology.
As part of their commitment, the seven companies will develop a watermarking system for all AI-generated content, spanning text, images, audio, and videos, making it easier for users to identify potentially deceptive deep-fake content.
In addition, they pledged to prioritize user privacy, address bias, and prevent discrimination against vulnerable groups in AI applications. The commitments also extend to using AI to address scientific challenges such as medical research and climate change mitigation, underlining the multifaceted role of AI in shaping the future.
The rise of generative AI, exemplified by technologies like ChatGPT, has prompted lawmakers worldwide to consider measures to mitigate the risks associated with this emerging technology, including threats to national security and the economy.
While the U.S. has been lagging behind the European Union in AI regulation, the EU has already made progress by agreeing to draft rules requiring disclosure of AI-generated content, differentiating deep-fakes from genuine content, and implementing safeguards against illegal material.
The White House meeting coincides with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s plans to host a gathering of several top tech CEOs in Washington for an “AI Insight Forum.” This forum will bring together industry leaders such as Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Elon Musk (X, formerly Twitter), Sundar Pichai (Google), Eric Schmidt (former Google CEO), Sam Altman (OpenAI), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), and Jensen Huang (Nvidia) to discuss critical issues related to AI regulation.
In June, Chuck Schumer called for comprehensive AI legislation to advance and ensure safeguards for artificial intelligence. Congress is considering a bill that would mandate political ads to disclose the use of AI in creating imagery and other content.
Source: mPost
