'We have to move fast': US regulators start work on a probably-futile attempt to avoid an AI apocalypse
The Terminator films lay out a pretty grim prospectus for the future of humanity in the face of AI run amok. «Defense network computers. New. Powerful. Hooked into everything, trusted to run it all. They say it got smart. A new order of intelligence. Then it saw all people as a threat, not just the ones on the other side. Decided our fate in a microsecond. Extermination(opens in new tab).»
That's not ideal! And so, perhaps hoping to get ahead of all that, the US Department of Commerce has begun the process of establishing guidelines(opens in new tab) to ensure that AI systems do what they're supposed to—and, perhaps more importantly, do not do what they're not supposed to.
«Responsible AI systems could bring enormous benefits, but only if we address their potential consequences and harms,» said Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and an administrator at the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is leading the effort. «For these systems to reach their full potential, companies and consumers need to be able to trust them.»
The NTIA said that, just like food and cars, AI systems should not be released to the public without first making sure that they're not likely to result in widespread death and dismemberment. As a first step toward making that happen, the agency is now seeking input from the public on possible AI regulation policies, including:
Machine apocalyptica is the «fun» outcome of an AI catastrophe, but Davidson said during a presentation at the University of Pittsburgh(opens in new tab) earlier this week that the real worries, at least in the short term, are more mundane: Things like hidden biases in mortgage-approval
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