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Tech bosses discuss AI rules with US senators
Was there: Microsoft founder Bill Gates. photo
© J. Scott Applewhite/AP/dpa
At a meeting with US senators, tech giants like Gates and Zuckerberg explore regulatory options for future technology. But can companies and politics come together?
Some of the most high-profile tech company bosses have met with US senators in talks about possible regulation of artificial intelligence (AI). Washington hit.
According to US media, more than 20 experts and CEOs took part in the meeting at the parliament building behind the closed doors of the Capitol – including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg from Meta – the company behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – and tech billionaire Elon Musk, head of Tesla and the online platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
In the USA, a parliamentary group with senators from both parties is trying to explore options for regulating future technology that is as promising as it is risky.
Need for a “referee”
The company representatives emphasized that limits are necessary for the development and use of AI technology. “It’s important for us to have a referee,” Musk said on the sidelines of the meeting. This must ensure that companies act safely and in the public interest. However, according to the US media, company bosses and politicians did not find a concrete line as to what laws and framework conditions could look like at the first meeting.
“We need help from developers and experts who are creating AI systems,” said Senate leader Chuck Schumer of the Democrats, according to radio station NPR. “But we also need help from those who ask hard questions and who advocate for rules to minimize the risks of AI.”
Fake photos and videos, manipulated election campaigns
For months there has been discussion about how to regulate the technology, which is developing at such a rapid pace around the world. For example, there are fears of fake photos and videos, manipulated election campaigns and effects on the education system if it becomes more unclear whether students really wrote texts without the support of automatic computer formulations. Traditionally, politics is considered cumbersome when it comes to regulating new technologies, for example data protection or binding rules for communication in social networks.
Other company chairmen invited to the meeting included Sam Altman from OpenAI, the company behind the chatbot ChatGPT, Sundar Pichai from Google, Satya Nadella from Microsoft and Arvind Krishna from IBM. Trade union representatives were also present and emphasized that computer technology needs to be regulated, particularly with regard to the rights of workers.