US Exploring Rules to Regulate AI Tools Like ChatGPT

The Biden administration has opened up a public consultation to gain insight into regulating artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT. The discussions come following concerns around the potential impact of these fast-developing technologies on national security, privacy and education.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a Commerce Department agency that advises the White House on telecommunications and information policy, will examine options in the next 60 days such as audits, risk assessments, and potentially introducing a certification process, to allay public anxieties around the use of AI models.

Alan Davidson, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and administrator of the NTIA said: “Responsible AI systems could bring enormous benefits, but only if we address their potential consequences and harms. For these systems to reach their full potential, companies and consumers need to be able to trust them.”

OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the interactive AI chatbot, has raised some concerns about privacy and partisan bias since its rollout in November, despite its impressive speed in generating human-like conversations and answering complex questions in a matter of seconds. The program, now one of the fastest-growing apps in history, has already amassed 1 billion visits a month as of February 2023.

Apart from concerns around privacy and partisan bias, many researchers also worry about ChatGPT exacerbating plagiarism in schools.

The NTIA has asked for public feedback on policies to “shape the AI accountability ecosystem,” enabling the creation of AI models that are safe, secure and fit for purpose across different industry sectors.

While US President Joe Biden has not publicly stated whether he considers AI to be dangerous, he has emphasised the need for technology companies to ensure their products are safe.

Industry analysts are already warning that regulations might stifle innovation and reduce the AI industry’s competitiveness, while some critics have suggested that transparency and accountability in the industry will be hard to enforce