The U.S. AI Safety Institute (USAISI), launched by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and backed by President Biden's Executive Order, focuses on establishing standards for AI safety through a consortium of over 200 entities. The institute emphasizes the importance of sound measurement practices to effectively manage AI risks, highlighting the challenges of measuring complex and nebulous AI qualities like fairness. The social sciences offer valuable lessons in operationalizing and measuring constructs, stressing the necessity of reliable and valid evaluations to ensure AI systems are assessed accurately. This approach is crucial for AI's responsible deployment, as reliable and valid measurements underpin the effectiveness of policy interventions aimed at mitigating AI risks.
Source: Center for Democracy & Technology
The European Parliament has released the final text of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, which includes all 808 amendments made to the legislation, in preparation for a conclusive vote during its plenary session on March 13. This publication marks a significant step towards formalizing one of the most comprehensive legal frameworks for AI regulation worldwide. The Act aims to address various aspects of AI development and use within the EU, setting a precedent for how AI technologies are governed in terms of ethical use, transparency, and safety.
Source: IAPP
Amid the global AI race, the EU endeavors to set a regulatory gold standard with the AI Act, amidst intense geopolitical and corporate competition. The Act, aiming for a human-centric approach, navigates the complex landscape of state and corporate rivalry, fragmented regulatory regimes, and the challenges of fostering innovation while ensuring ethical AI development. The narrative of AI as a transformative force brings to the fore the EU's strategic maneuvers to maintain technological sovereignty, reduce dependencies, and influence global standards. However, the EU faces significant hurdles in achieving technological sovereignty and global leadership in AI due to competition from major economies like the US and China, and the lack of major high-tech companies and investment within Europe. The discourse surrounding AI power, disruption, and the pursuit of regulatory frameworks highlights the critical balance between innovation, ethical governance, and addressing the geopolitical, economic, and regulatory concerns shaping the future of AI.
Source: Carnegie Europe
The EU's Artificial Intelligence Act represents a groundbreaking step towards regulating AI technologies, focusing on high-risk applications and emphasizing consumer safety and fundamental rights. However, translating its broad safety requirements into actionable, precise standards poses significant challenges, notably in risk assessment and mitigation for AI systems. Current AI-specific standards lack the maturity and specificity found in other safety-critical sectors, creating ambiguity in compliance and enforcement. Moreover, the unique characteristics of general-purpose AI (GPAI) models, like OpenAI's GPT-4, exacerbate these challenges, as they defy traditional risk management practices due to their broad applicability and unpredictable nature. Recommendations include developing detailed guidelines for fundamental rights risk assessments, enhancing transparency in GPAI model adoption, and fostering collaboration among standard-setting organizations, the European Commission, and AI developers. Achieving precise, flexible standards that accommodate AI's evolving landscape is crucial for the AI Act's success in safeguarding consumers and fostering innovation.
Source: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The recent Bloomberg investigation reveals that OpenAI's GPT 3.5 exhibits racial and gender biases in simulated recruiting tasks, favouring certain demographics over others. This study underscores the ongoing issue of AI reinforcing societal biases, particularly in the context of job recruitment, where AI tools like LinkedIn's Gen AI assistant are being integrated into hiring processes. Despite OpenAI's assertion that clients can fine-tune software to mitigate bias, the experiment, which involved assigning demographically distinct names to equally qualified resumes, demonstrated a clear preference for candidates based on race and gender. This situation highlights the ethical concerns of relying heavily on AI for critical decisions and the need for more diversity in AI development to prevent perpetuating discrimination.
Source: Mashable
Patronus AI, founded by former Meta researchers, conducted research demonstrating that leading AI models, including OpenAI's GPT-4, often produce copyrighted content when prompted with passages from popular books. OpenAI's GPT-4 was identified as the worst offender, generating copyrighted text in response to 44% of prompts. The study tested models by prompting them to generate text from books protected by U.S. copyright laws, revealing widespread issues across various AI technologies with reproducing copyrighted materials. This research highlights the ongoing debate about the ethical use of copyrighted content in AI model training and raises concerns about the legal implications for developers and companies.
Source: CNBC
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has introduced a new guide designed to assist firms in the insurance and long-term savings sector with the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), aligning with the UK government's five principles of AI: Accountability, Transparency, Fairness, Safety, Contestability & Redress. This guide, a first of its kind for the sector, aims to ensure AI's benefits such as enhanced affordability and accessibility for consumers while addressing potential risks like discrimination and bias. Developed by the ABI’s AI Working Group, it offers practical advice, regulatory insights, and examples of AI application, setting a foundation for firms to develop responsible AI strategies and governance. The initiative reflects a broader effort to manage AI's opportunities and challenges, emphasizing industry collaboration and regulatory alignment.
Source: ABI
As the global leader in AI, the United States faces the critical challenge of creating a regulatory framework that not only maintains its competitive edge but also addresses the potential risks associated with AI technologies. The European Union and China have already advanced in their AI regulation efforts, each with distinct goals that may not necessarily prioritize innovation. The U.S. approach must balance fostering an open, competitive AI ecosystem, ensuring safety, preventing harmful AI proliferation, and maintaining technological leadership, especially against China. The consideration of a principles-based regulation, possibly overseen by an independent agency for adaptability, alongside measures to promote safety and broad competition, is crucial. Moreover, America's AI policy should be crafted with a global perspective, cooperating where possible on shared risks while advocating for a model that aligns with democratic values. This strategy requires bipartisan interest and action from Congress, underlined by initiatives like Senator Schumer's AI Insight Forums and Speaker Johnson's Task Force on AI, to address one of the most complex regulatory challenges to date.
Source: TIME
Accenture has announced its acquisition of the online learning platform Udacity, aiming to enhance its educational offerings with a strong focus on artificial intelligence (AI) through the establishment of the LearnVantage technology learning platform, backed by a $1 billion investment. This strategic move underscores Accenture's commitment to addressing the urgent need for AI, cloud, and data skills among workers as businesses increasingly turn towards digital transformation. Udacity, which once achieved a valuation of $1 billion in 2015 and raised almost $300 million, had previously been in acquisition talks with Indian edtech company Upgrad. This acquisition not only represents a significant shift for Udacity but also Accenture's ambitious plans to become a leader in AI education and training, pending regulatory and antitrust approvals.
Source: TechCrunch