The White House And Big Tech Companies Release Commitments On Managing AI
The White House and major technology companies express their commitment to AI management
By: Deepa Shivaram, National Public Radio
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WASHINGTON, DC (NPR) -- The presidents and CEOs of major technology companies working to develop artificial intelligence have agreed to a series of commitments to share, test and develop new AI technologies, the White House said.
The seven companies — Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, OpenAI, Anthroponic and Inflection — will announce the voluntary agreement at the White House on Friday. President Biden will also make remarks.
“American companies lead the world in innovation, and they have a responsibility to do that and do that, but they also have a responsibility to make sure their products are safe, reliable, and trustworthy,” White House chief of staff Jeff Giants said in an interview with NPR.
But it is not clear how the White House will hold companies accountable if they fail to deliver on their promises.
"We will use every lever of the federal government to enforce these commitments and standards. At the same time, we need legislation," Giants said.
White House officials say they are working closely with Congress as they craft AI legislation to regulate the technology that will be announced next week.
What is the deal?
The company's commitment to government and the public includes data sharing, auditing, and transparency. But Friday's announcement did not provide many details.
For example, there is promise to develop mechanisms to notify users when AI creates content. He said the companies strive to avoid bias and discrimination and protect privacy.
The companies have promised that their AI systems will be tested by third parties before launch. An example of this will happen at the DEF-CON hacking conference in Las Vegas next month. Several companies, including Google and OpenAI, are testing their own AI systems at the request of the White House. Also, there is no clear list of who the third party verifiers are and how they are selected.
But the White House says these agreements are only the first step.
“The commitment made by the companies is a good start, but it is only the beginning,” said Zients. "The key here is implementation and enforcement so that these companies can operate and gain the public's trust."
Critics say Big Tech should not be at the center of the conversation
Some AI experts have expressed concern that big tech companies will be at the forefront of the debate about AI regulation.
The White House has held hearings with civil rights and labor leaders about how AI will affect their work.
But Ifeoma Ajunwa, a law professor at Emory who studies the intersection between technology and business, finds it disappointing that the financial stakes in AI development are at the forefront of the White House declaration of AI.
"We want to make sure we include the voices of other non-profits," he said. "We should invite business leaders and technologists into the conversation, but they shouldn't lead the conversation."
Some fear that the concentration of large companies envisaged in the new agreement will be too difficult for these companies and will exclude small companies.
“Large, established companies can play in their favour, and newcomers can say nothing,” said Victor Menaldo, a professor of political economy at the University of Washington. "Big companies like to do things like this because they're already established, so they're like, 'Oh, the rules of the road work for us.'" "
Contacted by reporters Thursday, White House officials did not confirm whether any new companies had joined the deal in addition to the seven contracts signed.
"We expect other organizations to meet the standards for security and trust. They can choose - and when they choose - when they join these words -," the White House official said.
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