Using  artificial intelligence to tamper with election integrity is a “significant area of concern” that requires regulation, said the  CEO of OpenAI, the startup behind ChatGPT, told a Senate hearing on Tuesday. 

“I am nervous about it,” CEO Sam Altman said about elections and AI, adding rules and guidelines are needed.

For months, corporations of all sizes have rushed to bring increasingly versatile AI to market, pouring unending data and billions of dollars into the effort. Some detractors believe that the technology would increase societal problems such as bias and misinformation, while others predict that AI could terminate humanity.

“There’s no way to put this genie in the bottle. Globally, this is exploding,” said Senator Cory Booker, one of many lawmakers with questions about how best to regulate AI.

As the 2024 election approaches, Senator Mazie Hirono warned of the dangers of misinformation. “In the election context, for example, I saw a picture of former President Trump being arrested by NYPD and that went viral,” she added, questioning Altman on whether he thought the fabricated image was bad.

Altman said that designers should make it evident when an image is fabricated rather than true.

In his first appearance before Congress, Altman argued that the United States should consider licencing and testing criteria for the development of AI models in general.

When asked to comment on which AI should be licenced, Altman claimed a model that can influence or manipulate a person’s opinions is an example of a “great threshold.”

He also stated that corporations should have the ability to refuse to have their data used for AI training, which is a proposal being discussed on Capitol Hill. However, Altman stated that content on the public internet would be fair game.

Altman also stated that while he “wouldn’t say never” to advertising, he preferred a subscription-based model.

The White House has invited leading technology CEOs, including Altman, to discuss artificial intelligence. US politicians are also looking for ways to expand the technology’s benefits and national security while limiting its misuse. The likelihood of agreement is remote.

According to reports, an OpenAI employee recently proposed the formation of a U.S. licencing body for AI, which may be called the Office for AI Safety and Infrastructure Security, or OASIS.

Microsoft Corp. is a supporter of OpenAI. Altman also advocates for worldwide AI collaboration and incentives for safety compliance.

Christina Montgomery, chief privacy and trust officer at International Business Machines Corporation, advised Congress to focus regulation on areas with the highest potential for societal harm.

(Adapted from BusinessStandard.in)

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