Michael Bennet, a Colorado-based U.S. senator, has urged executives of well-known technology and artificial intelligence (AI) firms, such as Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, Twitter, TikTok, and OpenAI, to take proactive measures to stop the spread of deceptive AI-generated content.
Bennet stressed the significance of classifying and labeling AI-generated content, emphasizing the problems that could result from the unrestricted dissemination of false information. “Online misinformation and disinformation are not new,” he claimed. However, the complexity and size of these technologies have quickly advanced and beyond our current defenses.
The Senator cited a number of cases where artificial intelligence-generated content sparked market volatility and political instability. He also mentioned OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, in which Altman raised a major concern about the possibility that AI could propagate misinformation.
Bennet acknowledged the first efforts technology companies had taken to recognize and categorize information produced by AI. He emphasized, though, that these protections are optional and simple to get around. He suggested a framework for categorizing AI-generated information and asked the businesses to provide their identifying and watermarking standards and practices.
The senator came to the conclusion that “ongoing inaction threatens our democracy. While generative AI can foster innovative artistic pursuits and create breathtaking content, these advantages cannot be attained at the expense of distorting our common reality.
Bennet has been a steadfast supporter of digital regulation, safeguards for children using the internet, and improved protections for cutting-edge technologies. He recently sponsored the Digital Platform Commission Act, the first piece of congressional legislation to establish a specialized federal agency for monitoring major technology businesses and safeguarding consumers.
Senator Bennet’s action highlights the growing concern over the improper use of AI technology and the urgent need for legislative measures to ensure its appropriate usage. The tech oligopolies’ reaction to this call for action is yet to be seen.