San Francisco. The California state legislature on Wednesday adopted a law to regulate models of powerful generative artificial intelligence (AI), despite opposition from companies that fear the new legislation will stifle the potential of this new technology.
“I am proud of the diversity of the coalition that has supported this bill, a coalition that deeply believes in innovation and security,” wrote Scott Wiener, a Democratic representative in the state Senate and sponsor of the bill, on the social network X.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has until September 30 to sign it or veto it.
The rule has faced strong criticism, including from Democratic members of the US Congress, who argue that it threatens to punish developers in an innovative field.
“The view of many of us in Congress is that SB 1047 is well-intentioned but ill-informed,” said Democrat Nancy Pelosi, senator for California in Washington and one of the most influential voices of her party, recently.
“We want California to be at the forefront of AI in a way that protects consumers, data, intellectual property, and more (…). SB 1047 does more harm than good to that end,” he added.
But the text has also received support from technology figures such as tycoon Elon Musk, who argues that the risks of generative AI justify its regulation.
Dubbed the “Safe Innovation in Pioneering AI Models Act,” it seeks to prevent these algorithms from causing damage that could lead to large-scale cybersecurity incidents and even human deaths.
Wiener noted that the law requires AI model developers to test their systems, simulate cyberattacks, install cybersecurity safeguards and provide protection to whistleblowers of flaws or malpractice.
Several companies in this pioneering technology, such as OpenAI, creator of the popular ChatGPT application that generates content with simple commands in everyday language, oppose the rule.
OpenAI fears a brain drain from the US and Silicon Valley, and said it prefers to see nationwide legislation rather than AI regulations for all 50 US states.
Another player in the cutting-edge technology, Anthropic, believes the benefits of the new law “likely outweigh its costs.”
At least 40 states have introduced bills this year to regulate AI, and half a dozen have adopted resolutions or enacted laws addressing the technology, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Generative AI is capable of creating high-quality content such as text, images, videos, etc. But, according to experts, it has the potential to go much further and solve important problems, but also cause them.
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– 2024-09-02 07:49:33
