Voices continue to rise to warn about artificial intelligence, which is developing at full speed. Joe Biden thus in turn stepped up to the plate on Tuesday to discuss the potential risks of this technology, during a meeting with advisers.
Asked by journalists about the dangerousness of AI, the American president replied that it “remains to be seen. It could be”.
Help in the face of “very serious hardships”
This technology could help deal with “very serious hardships, like disease and climate change,” the Democrat told experts at the White House Council on Science and Technology. However, it carries “potential risks for our society, our economy, and our national security,” he said.
“In my opinion, tech companies must ensure that their products are safe,” resumed Joe Biden. “Without safeguards, we see what the consequences are in terms of mental health and self-image. Social networks are indeed regularly accused of harming the mental health of their youngest users, for example by leading them to compare themselves to the perfect images that flood these platforms.
The Democratic president therefore once again asked Congress to put in place “strict limits” on the personal data collected by tech groups, and to ban targeted advertising aimed at children.
At the end of March, Elon Musk and hundreds of world experts called for a six-month pause in artificial intelligence research. In an open letter, they spoke in particular of “major risks for humanity”.