Biden and AI safety
On May 4th, President Joe Biden met with CEOs from top AI companies, including Microsoft and Google, to discuss the potential risks associated with AI deployment. The meeting lasted two hours and included discussions on AI safety, transparency, and protection against malicious attacks.
The Importance of AI Safety
During the meeting, President Biden emphasized the need for companies to prioritize AI safety and mitigate potential risks to individuals, society, and national security. This sentiment was echoed by Vice President Kamala Harris, who emphasized the legal responsibility that companies have to ensure the safety of their AI products.
Transparency and Evaluation
To ensure that AI products are safe, transparent, and evaluated properly, President Biden and Vice President Harris urged companies to be more transparent with policymakers about their AI systems. They stressed the importance of evaluating the safety of these products and the need to protect them from malicious attacks.
Participants
The meeting was attended by Google’s Sundar Pichai, Microsoft Corp’s Satya Nadella, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and administration officials including Biden’s Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Director of the National Economic Council Lael Brainard, and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.
Investment and Policy Guidance
In addition to the discussions held during the meeting, the administration announced a $140 million investment from the National Science Foundation to launch seven new AI research institutes. They also stated that the White House’s Office of Management and Budget would release policy guidance on the use of AI by the federal government.
Conclusion
With the potential for privacy violations, skewed employment decisions, and power scams and misinformation campaigns, the importance of AI safety cannot be overstated. President Biden and Vice President Harris’s meeting with top AI companies emphasizes the need for responsible and safe AI deployment, and their calls for transparency, evaluation, and protection against malicious attacks are a step in the right direction.
