OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, calling on Congress to pass legislation to regulate the development of AI at a time when the technology is gaining traction across the tech industry and beyond.
“We think that regulatory intervention by governments will be critical to mitigate the risks of increasingly powerful models,” Altman said in his opening remarks.
“For example, the US government might consider a combination of licensing and testing requirements for development and release of AI models above a threshold of capabilities.”
Both IBM Chief Privacy and Trust Officer Christina Montgomery and NYU Professor Gary Marcus, who also testified during the hearing, similarly called for regulating AI and making the technology more transparent so that users know when they are interacting with AI.
AI, and specifically generative AI that can be used to generate text, images, and more using models trained on data collected via the internet, has exploded in popularity since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022. Since then, Microsoft (MSFT), which has invested billions in OpenAI, has launched its generative AI-powered Bing search engine and chat bot.
Last week, Google (GOOG, GOOGL) debuted a series of new technologies that use generative AI as part of its Google I/O conference including a version of its powerful search engine.
During the hearing, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) illustrated the power of generative AI by using a version of ChatGPT trained on his prior floor speeches and a type of AI voice cloning software to read a completely made up opening statement that sounded like something Blumenthal might have said on his own.
“If you were listening from home, you might have thought that voice was mine and the words from me, but in fact, that voice was not mine. The words were not mine,” Blumenthal explained.
Senators raised several questions throughout the hearing about the potential for AI to be used to manipulate elections or cause other real-world harms.
“Is it going to be like the printing press? That diffused knowledge and power and learning widely across the landscape that empowered ordinary everyday individuals that lead to greater flourishing, that lead above all to greater liberty?” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) asked.
“Or is it going to be more like the atom bomb? Huge technological breakthrough, but the consequences severe, terrible, continue to haunt us to this day?”
Altman, meanwhile, said that he sees the technology as a “printing press moment.” But when pressed about the potential for misuse, the CEO said he is looking toward the government for help.
“My worst fears are that we, the field, the technology, the industry, cause significant harm to the world,” Altman said. “I think if this technology goes wrong, it could go quite wrong. And we want to be vocal about that. We want to work with the government to prevent that from happening.”
Both Altman and Marcus called on senators to create a new regulatory body that can monitor AI companies and provide licenses to deploy AI models.
Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) equated the idea to how energy companies need licenses to build nuclear power plants.
While the roughly three-hour hearing saw plenty of questions from senators, there was little in the way of concrete next steps.
And as senators and witnesses pointed out repeatedly, the technology will continue to advance regardless of whether regulations are put in place or not.
By Daniel Howley, tech editor at Yahoo Finance. Follow him @DanielHowley
Click here for the latest technology business news, reviews, and useful articles on tech and gadgets
Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
