Sam Altman, head of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, said government artificial intelligence (AI) regulation is nothing to fear.
Speaking during a trip to Taipei Monday (Sept. 25), Altman said that while he isn’t very concerned with the world’s governments over-regulating AI, it could happen nonetheless, Reuters reported Monday.
“I also worry about under-regulation,” he said, per the report. “People in our industry bash regulation a lot. We’ve been calling for regulation, but only of the most powerful systems.”
“Models that are like 10,000 times the power of GPT4, models that are like as smart as human civilization, whatever, those probably deserve some regulation,” added Altman, who spoke at an AI event hosted by the charitable foundation of Foxconn founder Terry Gou.
Altman said there is a “reflexive anti-regulation” sentiment in the tech industry, and it is possible to miss the mark on regulation, “but I don’t think we sit around and fear it,” according to the report. “In fact, we think some version of it is important.”
Altman’s comments came amid “a narrowing window of opportunity to guide AI technology around the world responsibly,” as PYMNTS reported Sept. 15. The United States is better positioned to direct the tech than regulators in Europe and China because most — if not all — of the innovations in the AI sector have happened stateside.
“PYMNTS has previously covered how a healthy, competitive market is one where the doors are open to innovation and development, not shut to progress,” per the report. “And the danger of leading too strongly with regulation of the novel technology is that it could force AI development to other areas of the globe where its benefits can be captured by other interests.”
Meanwhile, other tech CEOs have stated their belief that some form of AI regulation is necessary, including Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
“I expect our leadership will create some durable benefit to the U.S. over time,” he said during a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier this month. “I agree that Congress should engage with AI to support innovation and safeguards. This is an emerging technology, there are important equities to balance here, and the government is ultimately responsible for that.”
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