The Google SVP calls for more regulation of artificial intelligence
One doesn’t have to look far to find nefarious examples of artificial intelligence. GPT-3, OpenAI’s latest AI language model, was quickly adopted by users to teach them how to make shoplifters and explosives, and it was only a weekend before Meta’s new AI chatbot was responding to users with anti-Semitic comments.
As AI becomes more advanced, companies looking to explore this world need to be conscious and careful. James Manyika, senior vice president of technology and society at Google, said there’s a “range” of abuse the search giant needs to be wary of as it expands its own AI ambitions.
On the stage, Manyika addressed the pitfalls of the trendy technology wealth‘s Brainstorm AI conference on Monday on labor market implications, toxicity and bias. He said he wonders “when will it be appropriate to deploy this technology” and “frankly, how to regulate it.”
The regulatory and policy landscape for AI still has a long way to go. Some claim the technology is too new to impose strict regulation, while others (like Tesla CEO Elon Musk) say we need to be proactive.
“I’m actually recruiting a lot of us to embrace regulation because we have to think, ‘What’s the right thing to do with using these technologies?'” Manyika said, adding that we need to make sure we use AI in the most useful and appropriate manner with sufficient oversight.
Manyika started in January as Google’s first SVP of Technology and Society, reporting directly to the company’s CEO, Sundar Pichai. His role is to advance the company’s understanding of how technology impacts society, the economy and the environment.
“My job isn’t so much to oversee as it is to work with our teams to ensure we’re developing the most useful technologies and doing so in an accountable manner,” Manyika said.
His role also comes with a lot of baggage as Google seeks to boost its image after the departure of Timnit Gebru, technical co-lead of the company’s ethical artificial intelligence team, who criticized the company’s natural language processing models.
On stage, Manyika didn’t address the controversy surrounding Google’s AI projects, instead focusing on the company’s future.
“You’re going to see a whole host of new products that are only possible through AI from Google,” Manyika said.
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