Elon Musk's Wish Granted? Microsoft President Joins OpenAI In Advocating For AI Regulation

Microsoft Corporation’s MSFT president Brad Smith joined forces with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in urging Congress for artificial intelligence regulation — but will this be enough to make Elon Musk happy?

What Happened: On Thursday, during a speech in Washington, Smith expressed support for the creation of a new regulatory agency and licensing model tailored explicitly for AI, reported The Hill.  

“We need a new law,” Smith said. 

See Also: Satya Nadella Says Elon Musk’s Claims About Microsoft Controlling OpenAI’ Factually Not Correct’

Smith proposed that AI be subject to licensing, similar to automobiles and other products, to ensure responsible conduct without hindering innovation.

He also advocated the creation of a dedicated regulatory agency with the primary objective of overseeing and monitoring new AI technologies. 

For the uninitiated, discussions on AI regulation have gained bipartisan attention in Congress, but no specific legislative framework has emerged yet, the report noted. 

Last week, chatGPT parent OpenAI‘s CEO Altman testified before Congress and made bold statements regarding AI regulations. “I think if this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong. And we want to be vocal about that,” he said. 

“We want to work with the government to prevent that from happening.”

Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG GOOGL CEO Sundar Pichai also backed the idea of developing policy frameworks for AI regulations with the help of various stakeholders from governments, industry experts, and civil society. 

Why It’s Important: In March 2023, more than 1,000 tech experts, including Musk, signed an open letter urging for an immediate halt in the advancements of AI technologies, explicitly surpassing the capabilities of OpenAI’s GPT-4, until independent experts can establish, implement and assess safety protocols for such designs. 

Musk has been accusing Microsoft of having significant influence, if not direct control, over OpenAI — the company he co-founded in 2015 and left in 2018. However, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has disputed these allegations. 

Nevertheless, now that both Microsoft and OpenAI appear to echo Musk’s sentiments about AI regulations, it may bring Musk some satisfaction… or not. 

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