Testifying before Congress on May 16, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said it was time for regulators to start setting limits on powerful AI systems. “As this technology advances we understand that people are anxious about how it could change the way we live. We are too,” Altman told a Senate committee. “If this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong,” he said, claiming it could do “significant harm to the world.” He agreed with lawmakers that government oversight will be critical to mitigating the risks.
Who Is Going to Regulate AI?
As the world reckons with the impact of powerful new AI systems, governments are jostling to lead the regulatory charge — and shape how this technology will grow.
May 19, 2023
Marcos Osorio/Stocksy
Summary.
As businesses and governments race to make sense of the impacts of new, powerful AI systems, governments around the world are jostling to take the lead on regulation. Business leaders should be focused on who is likely to win this race, moreso than the questions of how or even when AI will be regulated. Whether Congress, the European Commission, China, or even U.S. states or courts take the lead will determine both the speed and trajectory of AI’s transformation of the global economy, potentially protecting some industries or limiting the ability of all companies to use the technology to interact directly with consumers.