US President Joe Biden revealed that several major AI companies, such as OpenAI, Alphabet [GOOGL:US], and Meta Platforms [META:US], have voluntarily committed to enhancing AI safety measures, as reported by Reuters on July 21. These commitments, including watermarking AI-generated content, address concerns about the potential misuse of AI for disruptive purposes. Biden acknowledged the significance of these steps but emphasized the need for further collaboration to ensure AI’s responsible development. During a White House event, the companies involved, which also include Anthropic, Inflection, Amazon.com [AMZN:US], and Microsoft [MSFT:US], a partner of OpenAI, pledged to thoroughly test AI systems before release and share information to reduce risks and invest in cybersecurity.

As generative AI, like ChatGPT, gained immense popularity, lawmakers worldwide began considering ways to mitigate the technology’s potential dangers to national security and the economy. Notably, the U.S. has been lagging behind the EU in AI regulation. While the EU lawmakers agreed to draft rules mandating disclosure and safeguards for AI-generated content, U.S. Senate Majority Chuck Schumer called for comprehensive legislation to ensure AI safeguards. Congress is even considering a bill requiring political ads to disclose the use of AI in creating imagery or content.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/technology/openai-google-others-pledge-watermark-ai-content-safety-white-house-2023-07-21/

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20230601STO93804/eu-ai-act-first-regulation-on-artificial-intelligence