By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL- On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to the press about the risks and rewards of artificial intelligence (AI) along with business leaders of seven American companies who are in the forefront of AI innovation. Biden explained that though AI presents tremendous opportunities it also is a grave danger – one that companies and individuals must learn to navigate. Biden had previously spoken with leaders in the AI field about their major responsibility in ensuring that any AI products are made safe and their uses thoroughly explained. He said that he’s met with “some of America’s top minds in technology to hear the range of perspectives and possibilities and risk of AI.” He mentioned that Vice-President Kamala Harris met with civil society leaders to get their feedback and hear their concerns about AI’s “impacts on society and ways to protect the rights of Americans.”
The U.S. president reiterated that over this past year that steps were taken by his administration “to guide responsible innovation” in AI and that last October, “a first-of-its-kind” AI Bill of Rights was introduced . In February of this year, Biden explained that he signed an executive order to “direct agencies to protect the public from algorithms that discriminate.” Then in May, a new strategy was revealed to create seven new AI research institutes to assist in driving breakthroughs in responsible innovation. Biden said the companies will put these into practice immediately with three core principles – safety, security and trust. He emphasized that these companies “have an obligation” to guarantee that their technology is safe “before releasing it to the public.” That would involve testing the capabilities of a company’s system while making sure to assess any potential risks, making the results of these assessments public. In addition, companies must prioritize the security of their systems by safeguarding their models against cyber threats while managing risks to U.S. national security. This means sharing best practices and industry standards that are necessary. Another step is that companies must earn the public trust empower users to make informed decisions. Content must be labeled to indicate whether it has been altered or AI-generated, eliminating any bias and discrimination, strengthening privacy protectioins and shielding children from harm.
Biden added that companies agree to find ways for AI to assist in handling society’s greatest challenges “from cancer to climate change.” Also, to invest in education and new jobs to help students and workers, prosper from the opportunities. The president said Congress needs to pass “bipartisan legislation to protect personal privacy, ban targeted advertisements to kids and let companies promote health and safety first. He added that all G7 leaders are focusing their attention on how best to create safe uses for AI and that AI could prove to be the most innovative technology for centuries to come.
