How the US steals a march over Europe amid the UK’s showpiece Summit

How the US steals a march over Europe amid the UK’s showpiece Summit

Subject: Science and Tech

Section: Awareness in IT

More about the news:

• Over the past decade, Europe has taken the lead in tech regulation, but the United States has made strides in AI regulation with a detailed executive order aiming to address AI threats and safety benchmarks, setting it up as a potential global AI regulation model.
• The US Executive Order on AI outlines regulations and safeguards for the most advanced AI technologies.
• The United States aims to lead in AI regulation, particularly focusing on AI safety and protecting the public from potential harm.
• The EU has made advances in tech regulation, including GDPR and sub-legislations   – the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), but the US is now emerging as a leader in AI regulation.
• The executive order requires AI companies to conduct safety tests before launching new AI products and aims to limit threats such as deepfakes. It also calls for watermarks on AI-generated content to alert consumers.
• A key feature is the establishment of an AI safety institute to evaluate AI risks, echoing the UK’s plan to set up a United Kingdom Safety Institute.
• The US executive order sets standards for the use of AI in biotech and critical infrastructure and encourages private-sector adoption of best practices.
• The move aims to address concerns of generative AI, encompassing issues related to privacy, system bias, and intellectual property rights, which have prompted regulatory scrutiny.
• The US, EU, UK, and China each have distinct approaches to AI regulation, with the US now positioning itself as a significant player in defining AI regulation guidelines.
• Tech leaders, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, have called for a pause in AI development, highlighting concerns about the potential existential risks posed by AI.

What is Bletchley Declaration:

• The declaration provides a comprehensive overview of the global consensus on both the potential benefits and risks associated with artificial intelligence.
• It underscores the importance of aligning AI systems with human intentions and encourages a deeper exploration of the full range of AI capabilities.
• The declaration acknowledges the potential for significant harm, including catastrophic consequences, arising from AI, whether these harms are intentional or unintentional.
• It places a strong emphasis on safeguarding human rights, ensuring transparency, explainability, fairness, accountability, regulation, safety, human oversight, ethical considerations, bias mitigation, privacy protection, and data security within AI development and deployment.
• The declaration reflects the intricate negotiations that took place among nations with differing interests and legal systems, including major players such as the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and China.
• It highlights the importance of involving civil society in addressing AI safety concerns, even though some civil society groups had voiced concerns about being excluded from the summit.
• The declaration also places a significant responsibility on companies developing cutting-edge AI systems to prioritize safety through thorough testing, evaluation, and the implementation of appropriate safety measures.

Why is this declaration significant:

• Twenty-nine countries such as the US, the UK, China, Australia, Brazil and India, along with the European Union have agreed to work together to prevent “catastrophic harm, either deliberate or unintentional” which may arise from artificially intelligent computer models and engines.
• The member countries include: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Saudi, Arabia, Netherlands, Nigeria, The Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, and the European Union

What was India stance:

• During the opening plenary session at Bletchley Park, Union Minister of State for IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, emphasized the need to address the weaponization of social media.
• He also stressed the importance of ensuring the safety and trustworthiness of artificial intelligence (AI).
• The Minister’s statement at the summit signifies the highest-level endorsement of India’s shift from its previous stance of not contemplating legal interventions to regulate AI in the country.
• In April 2023, the Ministry of Electronics and IT had stated that it had no plans for enacting laws to oversee the AI sector.