(CNN) 鈥� AI tools like ChatGPT have gone mainstream, and companies behind the technologies are pouring billions of dollars into the bet that they will change the way we live and work.
But alongside that promise comes a constant stream of concerning headlines, some highlighting AI鈥檚 potential to churn out or inaccuracies when responding to our questions or commands. Generative AI tools, including ChatGPT, have been . Some, disturbingly, have been used to generate .
Most recently, the concept of 鈥渄eepfakes鈥� hit the spotlight when pornographic, spread across social media, underscoring the damaging potential posed by mainstream artificial intelligence technology.
President Joe Biden during his 2024 State of the Union address to pass legislation to regulate artificial intelligence, including banning 鈥淎I voice impersonation and more.鈥� He said lawmakers need to 鈥渉arness the promise of AI and protect us from its peril,鈥� warning of the technology鈥檚 risks to Americans if left unchecked.
His statement followed a recent fake robocall campaign that mimicked his voice and targeted thousands of New Hampshire primary voters in what as an AI-enabled election meddling attempt. Even as disinformation experts warn of AI鈥檚 threats to polls and public discourse, reining in the AI industry during a divisive election year.
That鈥檚 not stopping Big Tech companies and AI firms, which continue to hook consumers and businesses on new features and capabilities.
Most recently, ChatGPT creator OpenAI introduced a new AI model called , which it claims can create 鈥渞ealistic鈥� and 鈥渋maginative鈥� 60-second videos from quick text prompts. Microsoft has added its AI assistant, Copilot, which runs on the technology that underpins ChatGPT, to its suite of products, including Word, PowerPoint, Teams and Outlook, software that many businesses use worldwide. And Google introduced Gemini, an AI chatbot that has begun to replace the Google Assistant feature on some Android devices.
Concerned experts
Artificial intelligence researchers, professors and legal experts are concerned about AI鈥檚 mass adoption before regulators have the ability or willingness to rein it in. Hundreds of these experts this week asking AI companies to make policy changes and agree to comply with independent evaluations for safety reasons and accountability.
鈥淕enerative AI companies should avoid repeating the mistakes of social media platforms, many of which have effectively banned types of research aimed at holding them accountable, with the , , or other methods to impose ,鈥� the letter said.
It added that some generative AI companies have suspended researcher accounts and changed their terms of service to deter some types of evaluation, noting that 鈥渄isempowering independent researchers is not in AI companies鈥� own interests.鈥�
The letter came less than a year after some of the biggest names in tech, including Elon Musk, called for artificial intelligence labs to stop the training of the most powerful AI systems for at least six months, citing 鈥減rofound risks to society and humanity.鈥� (The pause did not happen).
鈥淭he most concerning thing I see around AI is the continued gap between promise and practice,鈥� Suresh Venkatasubramanian, a computer scientist and professor at Brown University, told CNN. 鈥淐ompanies continue to promise to deliver the moon when it comes to AI and still provide moldy green cheese.鈥�
Venkatasubramanian, who was appointed to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in 2021 to help advise on AI policy, is among the experts who signed the latest letter.
鈥淎ccess to major generative AI systems in widespread use is controlled by a few companies,鈥� said Venkatasubramanian, noting that these systems easily make errors and can produce damaging content. 鈥淲ithout the ability to evaluate AI independently and with the fear of legal threats, it will continue to be very difficult for researchers to do the important job of evaluating the safety, security, and trustworthiness of generative AI systems so that policy makers are well informed to take action.鈥�
He said he looks to policymakers and the work being done by the White House鈥檚 Office of Management and Budget, which oversees President Biden鈥檚 vision across the Executive Branch, to clarify and set 鈥渞ules of the road.鈥�
Arvind Narayanan, a computer science professor at Princeton, who also signed the letter, agreed, telling CNN he鈥檚 particularly concerned about the pace at which AI is accelerating; a speed far faster than our ability to adapt to it.
鈥淭ech companies have gotten rich off of a business model where they reap profits from the benefits of new technologies, while the costs of those technologies are borne by society,鈥� said Narayanan, acknowledging that this was the case long before generative AI.
鈥淕uardrails for specific harms are needed but they won鈥檛 fix the underlying business model,鈥� he added.
He believes bolder reforms may be necessary too, such as taxing AI companies to fund social safety nets.
For now, current day generative AI users must understand the limitations and challenges of using products that are still quite far from where they need to be.
Asking AI about AI
When CNN asked ChatGPT if it (and other generative AI tools) are ready for mass adoption, it responded: 鈥淵es.鈥� But added a caveat: 鈥淥ngoing efforts to address ethical, societal, and regulatory challenges are critical for responsible and beneficial mass adoption.鈥�
Google鈥檚 Gemini AI tool 鈥� previously named Bard 鈥� answered similarly but with a bit more caution: 鈥淕enerative AI is having a moment, but there鈥檚 mixed signals about mass adoption.鈥�
鈥淒espite wide use, studies haven鈥檛 shown a major productivity boost yet,鈥� Gemini wrote. 鈥淓mployees may need more training to fully utilize generative AI.鈥�
Gemini also nodded to ethical issues: 鈥淏ias in training data can lead to biased AI outputs,鈥� it wrote. 鈥淸And] there are concerns about responsible use and accountability.鈥�
CNN鈥檚 Brian Fung contributed to this report
The-CNN-Wire
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