U.S. President Joe Biden last Tuesday spoke out on the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), highlighting the responsibility of tech companies to ensure user safety.
“Tech companies have a responsibility, in my view, to make sure their products are safe before making them public,” he said during the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology meeting.
Biden told attendees that while AI could combat disease and climate change-related issues, its risks to society, national security and the economy must also be addressed.
He also mentioned that social media had depicted how harmful powerful technologies can be without proper safety measures.
"Absent safeguards, we see the impact on the mental health and self-images and feelings and hopelessness, especially among young people," Biden explained.
Furthermore, the president also urged Congress to pass bipartisan privacy legislation that limits the amount of personal data tech companies can collect, bans children-targeted advertisements and prioritizes the health and safety in product development.
Following the meeting, the shares of AI companies such as C3.ai Inc, Guardforce AI and BigBear.ai went down dramatically.
Since the release of OpenAI’s GPT-4, many have feared the quick developments under AI.
Last week, several industry leaders including Elon Musk signed an open letter requesting a pause on the advancement of AI technology for at least six months.
Published by Future of Life Institute, the letter urged AI labs to stop training AI systems for the meantime over “profound risks to society and humanity,” applying to systems “more powerful than GPT-4.”
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