The CEO of OpenAI is concerned about using artificial intelligence to compromise elections
The CEO of OpenAI, the startup behind ChatGPT, told a Senate panel on Tuesday that the use of artificial intelligence to disrupt the integrity of elections is a “significant concern,” adding that it needs regulation.
“I’m nervous about it,” CEO Sam Altman said of elections and artificial intelligence adding rules and guidelines.
For months, companies big and small have been racing to bring increasingly versatile AI to market, throwing endless amounts of data and billions of dollars at the challenge.
Some critics fear the technology will exacerbate societal ills such as prejudice and misinformation, while others warn AI could destroy humanity itself.
“You can’t put this genie in a bottle. Globally, this is going to explode,” said Sen. Cory Booker, one of several lawmakers questioning how best to regulate artificial intelligence.
Senator Mazie Hirono pointed out the danger of misinformation as the 2024 election approaches. “For example, in the context of the election, I saw a photo of former President Trump that was arrested by the NYPD that went viral,” he said, pressing Altman on whether he considered the fake photo harmful.
Altman responded that creators should make it clear when the image was created, not factual.
Speaking to Congress for the first time, Altman suggested that, in general, the United States should consider licensing and testing requirements for the development of AI models.
Asked to weigh in on what AI should be licensed, Altman said a model that could convince or manipulate a person’s beliefs would be an example of a “high threshold.”
He also said companies should have the right to say they don’t want their data used for AI training, which is one idea being discussed on Capitol Hill. However, Altman said that material on the public web would be fair game.
Altman also said he would “never say no” to the idea of advertising, but preferred a subscription-based model.
The White House has invited top tech executives like Altman to discuss artificial intelligence. US lawmakers are also working to promote the technology’s benefits and national security and limit its misuse. Consensus is far from certain.
An OpenAI employee recently proposed the creation of a U.S. AI licensing agency that could be called the Office for AI Safety and Infrastructure Security, or OASIS, Reuters has reported.
OpenAI is backed by Microsoft Corp. Altman also calls for global cooperation in artificial intelligence and incentives to comply with security requirements.
Christina Montgomery, chief privacy and trust officer at International Business Machines Corp., urged Congress to focus regulation on areas that could cause the most societal harm.
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