WASHINGTON (CN) — Seven leading technology companies have voluntarily agreed to follow guidelines on the development of artificial intelligence established by the White House.
Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft are the big names announced Friday, joined by startups Anthropic and Inflection and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.
“These commitments are real and they’re concrete,” President Joe Biden said. “They’re going to help the industry fulfill their obligation to America to develop safe, secure and trustworthy technologies that benefit society and uphold our shared values.”
Governments around the world are wrestling with ways to get ahead of AI advancements as commercial investment has surged. Recently, generative AI tools that can create human-like text and create new media have raised concerns about the spread of disinformation.
The companies committed to security testing “carried out in part by independent experts” before releasing AI products to guard against biosecurity and cybersecurity risks, the White House said. Testing will also examine potential for bias and discrimination, as well as theoretical dangers around advanced AI systems gaining control of physical systems or making copies of themselves.
However, it’s unclear who those experts are or how they will be selected.
Friday’s announcement includes transparency commitments, with the sharing of information across the industry and with the government and production of public reports about flaws and risks. The companies also will support research on the potential risks of AI.
To combat potential misinformation or deception, the companies will develop “robust technical mechanisms” to let users know when content is AI generated, the White House said.
Following calls to get ahead of technological advancements, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with the CEOs of Google, Anthropic, Microsoft and OpenAI in May to discuss the development of artificial intelligence. After the meeting, the White House announced measures to promote safety and cybersecurity.
Ani Chaudhuri, CEO of software company Dasera, said in May that the White House needs to put data security at the forefront of regulations.
“AI developers must be held accountable for the security of their products, emphasizing their responsibility to make their technology safe before deployment or public use,” said Chaudhuri, whose company provides data security. “This includes proper data management, secure storage, and measures to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.”
Outside of Friday’s announcement, the White House is developing an executive order on artificial intelligence and working with Congress to craft bipartisan regulations. Biden said managing the risk of AI requires “new laws, new regulation and oversight.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, has said he will introduce legislation to regulate the industry.
Meanwhile, Senators Edward Markey and Ted Budd introduced legislation Tuesday directing the federal government to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of artificial intelligence and its advancements.
“As AI grows in power and influence, we may face the real prospect of AI-generated threats like biological or chemical weapons,” Budd, a North Carolina Republican, said in a statement. “The federal government must not be caught flat-footed on these threats and should begin to prepare now.”
Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said the federal government cannot repeat previous failures to address “the grave risks posed by emerging technologies.”
“Either we prevent the risks now, or Americans will be left dealing with the consequences for decades to come,” he said in a statement. “It is vital for us not only to understand the impacts of artificial intelligence on our health but to act with the urgency that this moment requires. Protection of the nation’s health security isn’t a Democrat or Republican issue.”
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