OpenAI and Microsoft are teaming up with state law enforcement to protect citizens from the misuse of AI

Question

Two attorney generals announced they would be forming an AI Task Force with Microsoft and OpenAI to develop basic safeguards for AI developers to implement to stop harm from happening to their users as well as identify new risks as they crop up. As of right now, the only AI regulations and protections established is the Take It Down Act, which focused on non-consensual deepfake pornography. Concerns about AI regulation have been escalating, but Congress hasn't acted.

Whatever safeguards the task force comes up with will be voluntary, but it at the very least brings awareness to any AI developments and risks as it continues to grow, making it more possible to stop problems as they crop up instead of waiting for them to get out of control.

Answer 1

The establishment of a task force by the attorneys general of North Carolina and New York, in coordination with OpenAI and Microsoft, appears to be confirmed. A press release from the North Carolina Department of Justice states that the task force’s mission “will be to identify emerging issues related to AI and develop safeguards that AI developers should follow to protect the public as this transformative technology accelerates.”

The release also clarifies that the task force will not draft legislation. Instead, it will focus on developing technical safeguards and creating a “standing forum” to facilitate coordination among companies, regulators, and the public. Even so, it emphasizes that state governments intend to continue enforcing consumer protection, privacy, and anti-discrimination laws to regulate AI within an evolving regulatory framework.

CNN reported a similar story, citing North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson’s skepticism that Congress will move quickly to regulate artificial intelligence.