The Center for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Policy (CAIDP) and tech giants like Elon Musk have a common mission: to unravel the dark box of AI and demand accountability for a key player in the industry: OpenAI and its popular ChatGPT program. The Center has recently filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) claiming that OpenAI is in violation of FTC’s Section five, targeting the deceptive and unfair practices of AI developers. In addition, the FTC released a revised version of the act last month with instructions to developers to ensure that their technology is not understating its capabilities, over promising and is being properly tested to check for any potential biases or flaws.
The complaint from the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Policy was further bolstered by an open letter with over 1,000 signatures from several high-profile tech industry members, including Telsa and Twitter CEO Elon Musk. The letter called for a six-month pause on training AI systems more powerful than GPT-4, and commented that “if such a pause cannot be enacted quickly, governments should step in and institute a moratorium”. These calls for a pause in development of AI systems came at a time when the world is abuzz with the tremendous potential, as well as the potential risks, of artificial intelligence.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is on board with the actions being taken by the Center and Musk. The international organization just issued a statement calling for immediate adoption of their recently created Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. This framework aims to protect human rights and dignity while providing a moral and legal foundation to promote adherence to law in the digital realm. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, made her outlook on the issue very clear when she commented that “the world needs stronger ethical rules for artificial intelligence: this is the challenge of our time.”
Whether OpenAI has complied with FTC rules or not, the back and forth between CAIDP, technologists, policy makers, and OpenAI has put the spotlight on the need for improved monitoring and regulations of artificial intelligence. The open letter signed by Elon Musk and other tech gurus raises strong questions about the privacy, freedom, and security of the products being created by AI companies – a spotlight that has been necessary to tackle these upcoming issues. The calls for a pause on development give people more time to figure out the necessary strategies and regulations for safety, transparency, ethicality and fairness in the digital realm. While OpenAI has yet to respond to the requests and allegations, the need for strong and responsible oversight of their technology is becoming more apparent by the day.
DECRYPT contacted both CAIDP and OpenAI for comment, but has not yet heard back from either party. However, the calls for awareness and action are getting louder and with the international support of UNESCO, the future for ethical and safe AI development looks brighter.
