© Reuters. Microsoft President Brad Smith responds during an interview with Reuters at Web Summit, Europe’s largest technology conference, in Lisbon, Portugal, November 3, 2021. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes
Written by Diane Bartz
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp. President Brad Smith said on Thursday that his biggest concerns about artificial intelligence are deep fakes, factual content, and fake content.
In a speech in Washington aimed at addressing the issue of how best to regulate AI, which has gone from shaky to widespread with the arrival of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Smith called for steps to be taken to ensure people know when an image or video is real and when it isn’t. Created by artificial intelligence, possibly for nefarious purposes.
“We’re going to have to address issues around deepfakes. We’re going to have to address our concerns in particular about most foreign cyber influence operations, and the kinds of activities that are actually going on by the Russian government and the Chinese-Iranians.”
“We need to take steps to protect against altering legitimate content with the intent to deceive or defraud people through the use of AI.”
Smith also called for licensing the most critical forms of artificial intelligence with “commitments to protect security, physical security, cyber security, and national security.”
“We will need a new generation of export controls, at least an evolution of our export controls, to ensure that these models are not stolen or used in ways that violate the country’s export control requirements,” he said.
For weeks, lawmakers in Washington have struggled over what laws to enact to control AI even as companies large and small race to bring versatile AI to market.
Last week, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the startup behind ChatGPT, told a Senate committee in his first appearance before Congress that the use of AI interfering with election integrity is an “area of significant concern,” adding that it needs regulation.
Altman, whose Microsoft (NASDAQ: OpenAI) supports Open AI, also called for global collaboration on artificial intelligence and safety compliance incentives.
Smith also argued in his speech, and in a blog post released Thursday, that people need to be held accountable for any problems caused by AI, and urged lawmakers to ensure safety brakes are placed on AI used to control the electric grid and water. Supply and other vital infrastructure so humans can stay in control.
He urged the use of a KYC-style system for developers of powerful AI models to monitor how their technology is being used and inform the public about AI-generated content so they can identify fake videos.
Some of the proposals being considered on Capitol Hill will focus on artificial intelligence that could endanger people’s lives or livelihoods, such as in medicine and finance. Others are pressing for rules to ensure that AI is not used to discriminate or violate civil rights.
