11 months ago
97 OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during a keynote code announcing ChatGPT integration for Bing astatine Microsoft successful Redmond, Washington, Feb. 7, 2023.
Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty Images
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spoke to an engaged assemblage of astir 60 lawmakers astatine a meal Monday astir the precocious artificial exertion his institution produces and the challenges of regulating it.
The wide-ranging treatment that lasted astir 2 hours came up of Altman's archetypal clip testifying before Congress astatine a Senate Judiciary subcommittee connected privateness and exertion proceeding connected Tuesday. IBM Chief Privacy and Trust Officer Christina Montgomery and New York University Professor Emeritus Gary Marcus volition besides attest astatine the hearing, which is focused connected AI oversight.
The meal treatment comes astatine a highest infinitesimal for AI, which has thoroughly captured Congress' fascination. On Tuesday, astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic the gathering wherever Altman volition testify, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is hosting a abstracted proceeding connected artificial quality successful government. And connected Wednesday, the House Judiciary Subcommittee connected Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet volition clasp yet different proceeding focused connected AI and copyright law.
About fractional a twelve members who spoke with CNBC extracurricular of the meal connected Capitol Hill described a wide-ranging and informative treatment with Altman that spanned the galore fears and hopes for opportunities that travel with AI.
Altman received precocious praise from respective members.
"I thought it was fantastic," said Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., vice seat of the House Democratic Caucus who co-hosted the meal with GOP Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson, R-La. "It's not casual to support members of Congress rapt for adjacent to 2 hours. So Sam Altman was precise informative and provided a batch of information."
"He gave fascinating demonstrations successful existent time," Johnson said. "I deliberation it amazed a batch of members. And it was a standing-room-only assemblage successful there."
One of the demonstrations, Johnson said, was having ChatGPT, OpenAI's generative AI chatbot, constitute a measure dedicating a station bureau to Lieu. After, helium had it constitute a code for Johnson to present successful introducing the measure connected the House floor.
"It was a beauteous speech," Lieu quipped.
"It benignant of besides freaked america out," Johnson said.
Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., said that contempt being successful her 3rd word successful Congress, she's "never been to a gathering similar this," and praised Lieu and Johnson for bringing unneurotic "a full cross-section of our full Congress to prosecute successful a taxable that is transforming our world."
Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., who co-chairs the Congressional AI Caucus, called Altman precise "forthcoming" and "wonderful to person a thoughtful conversation."
"There isn't immoderate question wherever helium pulls backmost connected anything," she said, adding that lawmakers had precise thoughtful things to ask.
Eshoo said she had invited Altman to talk to the caucus, but that Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., insisted it beryllium unfastened to the full chamber. Eshoo said she welcomed the opportunity.
"You person to recognize thing earlier you tin judge oregon cull it," Eshoo said. "But then, it's similar getting socks connected an octopus, due to the fact that it covers everything."
One of those tentacles has to bash with copyright law, thing House Judiciary Subcommittee connected IP Chair Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has been reasoning a batch about.
Issa said he's "very funny successful reasonably rapidly providing further guidelines for the copyright office," adding that adjacent if wholly AI-generated contented can't beryllium covered by copyright, determination needs to beryllium guidance astir erstwhile worldly that was created with the assistance of AI tin beryllium copyrighted.
As for Altman, Issa said that successful general, "He made it wide that this can't spell guardant without immoderate legislative and regulatory action, and astatine the aforesaid time, it would beryllium adverse to unopen down the momentum. So it's, however bash you make guardrails without sideswiping it oregon taking it disconnected the road?"
Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., who has a postgraduate grade successful artificial quality and sits connected the legislature AI caucus, said helium discussed with Altman the imaginable to modulate the precursors to the technology, overmuch similar is done with the earthy materials needed to marque atomic weapons. Obernolte suggested this mightiness instrumentality the signifier of an planetary registry that keeps way of which entities person capable computing powerfulness to make precocious AI.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., whose territory spans portion of Silicon Valley, said Altman made 2 important points to members successful the room.
"One is that AI is simply a tool, not a creature," helium said. "This is thing that is going to assistance quality beings not regenerate quality beings. Second, that it volition bash tasks, not jobs. This is thing that's going to assistance radical with the jobs they have, not displace those jobs. And truthful I deliberation it's been a sober speech that's helping members recognize what the instrumentality really does and assistance refute immoderate of the hype."
Still. determination are unanswered questions astir the immense capabilities of AI, wherever Congress should measurement in, and OpenAI's attack to harnessing the technology. For example, immoderate experts person critiqued the institution for choosing to beryllium little forthcoming astir what went into making its latest ample connection model, GPT-4, thing its executives person defended arsenic an important competitory and information move.
Khanna said the question of openness of the exemplary is thing he's discussed with Altman before, though not astatine Monday's dinner.
"The situation and the worth we person to contemplate is the worth of having this beryllium unfastened root truthful different non-incumbents tin participate," Khanna said. "But the information of unfastened root is they could get into the incorrect hands. And there's a commercialized disconnected betwixt that."
