The opaque nature of artificial intelligence generated content has caught the attention of the United States Senator. Michael Bennet, the Democrat Senator, has compelled tech companies to label AI generated content, on the ground of preventing misinformation and maintaining the integrity of public discourse. Users are to be alerted whenever AI is utilized in content creation.
The senator sent a letter with this demand on June 29 to major tech companies dealing with AI, which include the likes of OpenAI, Microsoft Meta, Twitter and Alphabet. He cited concerns over the disruptive effects of unmarked AI content, especially the ones that carry political motivations, and lamented the absence of strict policies and the over-reliance on voluntary compliance in enforcing these standards.
However, the potentiality of this call to regulation remains uncertain as there, by July 31, none of these major companies had officially responded, except Twitter, which responded with a whimsical poop emoji.
Concerns over possible misinformation through AI content is also echoed across the globe in Europe. The European Commission Vice President, Vera Jourova, appears to back Bennet’s call, suggesting companies deploying generative AI tools that could likely generate disinformation to label their content for the purpose of halting the spread of disinformation.
Bipartisan bills were also proposed on June 8 by U.S. lawmakers, aimed at placing transparency and innovation at the front line of the AI space. This includes a bill by Democratic Senator Gary Peters, and Republican Senators Mike Braun and James Lankford, necessitating government transparency about its AI usage.
Michael Bennet, alongside his fellow Democrat Mark Warner, and Republican Senator Todd Young, proposed another bill to set up an Office of Global Competition Analysis. Given Bennet’s previous criticisms of the instability of the crypto industry, this is a continuation of his quest for transparency and stability in the tech world.
While these proposals might herald a new phase of AI regulation, the underlying issue is ensuring how it does not hinder the tremendous innovation and benefits this technology provides while effectively curtailing the potential harm that comes with it.
Source: Cointelegraph
