California lawmakers are set to vote on a bill that would impose stringent safety regulations on artificial intelligence companies. The bill is being fiercely opposed by tech giants including Meta Platforms Inc META and Alphabet Inc GOOGL GOOG.
What Happened: The proposed legislation, authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-CA), would require AI companies to test their systems and incorporate safety measures to prevent potential misuse, such as causing power grid failures or aiding in the production of chemical weapons, reported the Associated Press on Tuesday.
The bill, which is the first of its kind, is aimed at mitigating the risks posed by AI technology. However, it is being met with strong opposition from industry players, who argue that the regulations should target those who exploit AI systems for malicious purposes, rather than the developers.
"The bill will make the AI ecosystem less safe, jeopardize open-source models relied on by startups and small businesses, rely on standards that do not exist, and introduce regulatory fragmentation," Rob Sherman, Meta’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Privacy Officer, stated in a letter to lawmakers.
The proposed regulations would apply only to AI systems that cost more than $100 million in computing power to train, a threshold that no current AI models have reached.
"This is not about smaller AI models," Wiener said. "This is about incredibly large and powerful models that, as far as we know, do not exist today but will exist in the near future."
Just a day earlier, Meta’s AI chief Yann LeCun criticized California bill SB1047 on social media platform X, describing its author as an “apocalyptic cult guru” posing as an academic think-tank director. LeCun referenced a video clip in which computer scientist Dan Hendrycks emphasized the risks of AI and how regulations impact its advancement.
Why It Matters: The bill, if passed, could have significant implications for the AI industry in California, a state that has been positioning itself as a global AI hub. The proposed regulations have sparked a heated debate, with proponents arguing that they are necessary to prevent potential catastrophic harm from powerful AI models that may be developed in the future.
Meanwhile, opponents, including tech giants and small startups, are concerned that the regulations could stifle innovation and drive companies out of the state. The bill also comes at a time when the AI industry is facing increasing scrutiny, with key members of OpenAI’s safety team resigning due to a loss of faith in the company’s leadership.
On the other hand, Amazon Web Services is taking an all-encompassing approach to enterprise AI, anticipating AI challenges years in advance to better deliver the tools that customers need. This proactive approach to AI challenges could set a precedent for how AI companies address regulatory changes and ensure the safety and ethical use of AI technology.
Image via Shutterstock
This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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