Dangerous AIs: This is how the US government holds tech companies accountable

Given the possible risks in the further development of artificial intelligence (AI), the US government wants to hold tech companies accountable.

Before a meeting between Vice President Kamala Harris and the top executives of US companies Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic in Washington on Thursday, the White House issued guidelines for handling the technology.

Arati Prabhakar, US Government Commissioner for Technology, said:

What are the new rules about?

The aim of the guidelines, to be developed with the AI ​​forges by the summer, is to protect the American people and civil rights from potential dangers posed by AI while reaping the benefits of the powerful technology.

This basis for regulation must also be created in view of much stronger programs in the future. Cooperation with, among others, the European Union is also important for the possible establishment of global standardswho had recently taken similar steps.

According to experts, sensational progress can be made in the future with the help of machine learningfor example in science – for example in medicine – and road safety.

At the same time, there are several voices warning of the possibility of significant damage.

Where’s the problem?

The text engine ChatGPT, Google’s competitor software Bard and programs that can generate images from text descriptions are currently causing a stir. It is feared that their skills could be used to produce and distribute false information or for other malicious purposes.

Government Commissioner Prabhakar mentioned a number of specific risks – for example in the field of cybersecurity and the protection of fundamental rights, for example through real-time monitoring of people. Entire democracies can be undermined with the help of AI and human workers can be replaced by machines in large parts of the economy.

And Switzerland?

(dsc/sda/dpa)