Researchers at MIT and Harvard demonstrated how chatbots powered by artificial intelligence (AI) models can quickly design a deadly pandemic outbreak. The students used various AI models to reverse engineer potential pandemic-causing candidates, including smallpox. This highlights the potential dangers of widely accessible AI, which allows individuals without laboratory training to identify, acquire, and release viruses. Lawmakers and officials in the US and EU are working on regulations to address the risks posed by AI. While the EU AI Act focuses on individual harms from AI technologies, US lawmakers are taking a broader approach to encompass not only application-specific AI systems but also generative AI technologies. The US effort aims to empower existing agencies rather than creating a new regulatory agency specifically for AI enforcement.In the US, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer is leading the AI regulatory effort and plans to propose legislation that addresses both harms and promotes innovation. Schumer has formed a small group of lawmakers to develop proposals, while Speaker Kevin McCarthy has gathered an informal group of lawmakers in the House to brainstorm ideas. The US approach may involve giving tools to existing agencies such as the FDA, FTC, FCC, and FAA to oversee AI applications in their respective areas.Meanwhile, Senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley have offered a legislative outline that advocates for creating an independent oversight agency for AI. Their proposal would require companies creating high-risk applications to register with the new body. Some experts suggest that a single AI enforcement agency would be beneficial to coordinate regulations with other countries. In the EU, efforts are being made to establish a central, Europe-wide regulatory agency for AI.Lawmakers worldwide are trying to strike a balance between regulation and innovation. The UK, for example, wants to distinguish its AI regulation approach from that of the EU to attract more AI development within the country. The US is expected to combine regulations with funding to promote innovation and the development of safety-oriented technologies.While the EU’s regulations have received criticism, they also have useful features. The Digital Services Act, for instance, aims to combat hate speech and disinformation on large online platforms and search engines. The law also introduces mechanisms for auditing algorithms.Overall, lawmakers and officials are focusing on creating regulations that address the risks of AI, particularly in the realm of bioweapons and misinformation, while also fostering innovation and development in the AI field.
Threats like AI-aided bioweapons confound policymakers
AI-generated biothreats are among risks that the White House, U.S. lawmakers and foreign officials are working furiously to prevent.
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