Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta, and Other Companies Agree To AI Safeguards

A set of safeguards negotiated by US President Joe Biden’s administration have been accepted by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and other businesses at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) technology research.

Seven American businesses have voluntarily agreed to make voluntary pledges, according to the White House, to verify the safety of their AI technologies before they are released.

Although they don’t specify who will check the technology or hold the corporations responsible, some of the agreements call for third-party oversight of the operation of commercial AI systems.

A boom in commercial investment in generative AI tools that can produce new images and other media and write prose that convincingly resembles human writing has sparked public excitement as well as worry about the tools’ potential to deceive people and disseminate misinformation, among other risks.

The four digital companies have agreed to security testing “carried out in part by independent experts” to protect against serious threats, such as biosecurity and cybersecurity, the White House said in a statement. The four tech giants are also cooperating with ChatGPT creator OpenAI and startups Anthropic and Inflection.

The businesses have also agreed to procedures for disclosing system vulnerabilities and to the use of digital watermarking to aid distinguish between genuine photographs and deepfakes created by AI.

According to the White House, they will also make known any dangers and defects in their technology, particularly how they may affect fairness and bias.

The voluntary commitments are intended to mitigate dangers right away before a longer-term campaign to persuade the US Congress to enact rules governing the technology.

Some proponents of artificial intelligence legislation claimed that while Mr. Biden’s action is a beginning, more must be done to hold businesses and their products accountable.

The non-profit Common Sense Media’s founder and CEO, James Steyer, stated: “History would indicate that many tech companies do not walk the walk on a voluntary pledge to act responsibly and support strong regulations.”

Leader of the majority in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, has declared he will present legislation to control AI. To inform senators on a topic that has piqued bipartisan interest, he has held several briefings with government representatives.

Tech industry leaders have urged for regulation, and several of them visited the White House in May to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and other officials.

However, some industry insiders and upstart competitors are concerned that the proposed regulations may favor well-funded pioneers like OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft, pushing out smaller players due to the high cost of promoting their AI systems as large language models comply with regulatory requirements.

The Biden administration’s efforts to establish regulations for high-risk AI systems were praised by the software industry trade association BSA, which counts Microsoft as a member.

“Enterprise software companies look forward to working with the administration and Congress to enact legislation that addresses the risks associated with artificial intelligence and promotes its benefits,” the organization said in a statement.

Many nations have been considering how to regulate AI, notably legislators in the European Union who are crafting comprehensive AI legislation for the 27-nation union.

The United Nations, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, is “the ideal place” to create international rules. He also appointed a group that will submit a report on alternatives for global AI governance by the end of the year.

The head of the UN also stated that he supported requests from certain nations to establish a new UN agency to support international efforts to regulate AI, drawing inspiration from organizations like the International Atomic Energy Agency or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

According to the White House, several nations have already been consulted regarding the voluntary commitments.