What ChatGPT creator Sam Altman wanted on AI just came true as Google, Microsoft, Amazon fall in line

Seven tech companies, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, OpenAI, Meta, have agreed to implement safety measures in AI tools in the US, President Joe Biden announced.

The seven AI tech companies are Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI. All of them have agreed to implement voluntary AI safeguard measures. (AFP)

After ChatGPT stormed to immense popularity over the recent months, its founder, Sam Altman, never let an opportunity pass by where he did not express his strong desire for AI regulations to be created that have some sort of backing from the government. He even toured the world, clamoring for the same from every country's government that he visited. His wishes have just about come true as a number of tech majors have lined up, alongside US President Joe Biden, and promised they will ensure adequate safeguards are taken while creating their AI tools. Notably, many have voiced fears that an unregulated AI environment will lead to the "destruction of humanity", a point of view supported by one of the 'godfathers if AI' Geoffrey Hinton and even billionaire Elon Musk.

This new breakthrough in the artificial intelligence space was reached on Friday after seven leading tech companies that are working heavily with AI came to an agreement to implement safeguards within their products. These seven companies include Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI. The announcement came straight from the White House, as US President Joe Biden gave a speech where he highlighted the areas where these companies will be building safety measures. This agreement is being seen as the first big step towards regulatory compliance in AI.

According to a report by The New York Times, these seven companies formally made their commitment to new standards for trust, safety, and security in a meeting with Biden. The meeting took place in the afternoon of Friday.

Addressing in a speech, the US President said, “Just two months ago, Kamala (Harris) and I met all these leaders to underscore the responsibility and making sure that the products they are producing are safe, and making it public what they are and what they aren't…Today, I'm pleased to announce that these seven companies have agreed to voluntary commitments for responsible innovation”.

US President highlights the areas where safeguards are necessary for AI

Explaining the need for all AI innovations to add a serious emphasis on three fundamental principles of safety, security, and trust, Biden spoke about the fundamental commitment the government asked of these seven companies. He also highlighted four specific obligations that he asked for from the seven companies.

First, the companies were given an obligation to make sure the technology is safe before releasing it to the public. This includes testing the capabilities of the systems, assessing any potential risks that may exist, and making the results of these assessments publicly available.

Second, the companies were asked to prioritize the security of the systems by safeguarding their models against cyber threats and managing the risks.

Third, companies were given the duty to earn people's trust and empower users to make informed decisions by labeling the content that has either been altered or generated by AI. This would also include rooting out biases and discriminations, strengthening privacy protections, and shielding children from harm.

And finally, companies gave their agreement to find ways for AI to meet society's greatest challenges, from cancer to climate change, investing in education and new jobs to help students and workers prosper.

“These commitments are real, and they're concrete,” Biden added.