Just a couple of weeks ago I was jolted by a surreal image that greeted me when I switched on the TV to catch up with the evening news. The United Nations was holding its first ever robot press conference to discuss the current and future status of Artificial Intelligence. Nine female robots were perfectly lined up behind their creators and were fielding questions thrown at them by the journalists gathered in the hall. Their replies were precise, concise and carefully worded. Their faces looked eerily human-like as they talked – with frown lines, blinking eyes and raised eyebrows adding to the illusion of their humanity.
Artificial intelligence has been a buzzword in the tech circles for quite a while now but recent entrants like ChatGPT and the rapid induction of humanoids in mainstream workforce has sparked new debates and fear in policy makers regarding issues like regulation. But according to renowned tech-specialists Blair Levin and Larry Downes, this is a cause for excitement, but also an alarm for incumbent businesses. The potential of AI seems limitless, perhaps revolutionizing everything from online search to content generation, customer service to education.
At the same time, the dangers AI poses are varied and encompass all aspects of life – from privacy concerns to national security threat, misinformation, copyright and trademark abuse, to the potential harm to our fundamental liberties. AI regulation helps to protect user data and ensure responsible AI use for the purpose of effective risk management strategies by introducing training data sets, implementing cybersecurity measures, and eliminating potential biases and errors in AI models. However, regulation of any kind is easier to pen down on paper than to practically implement due to the rapidly evolving nature of this technology.
Most governments in the Western world, particularly the EU, are currently hunkered down in their basement offices, trying to come up with solutions which will enable humanity to benefit from the use of AI in medical science, education, software development etc., all the while safeguarding human interests at large.
It’s far from clear that any combination of government action — legislative, regulatory, or judicial — can really achieve the balancing act of maximizing the value of AI while minimizing its potential harm. But that should definitely not deter them from trying!
RAYAAN MAHMOOD MALIK
LAHORE, AITCHISON
