Artificial intelligence industry leaders are facing an unexpected security hurdle: U.S. antitrust laws. According to Wired , OpenAI recently asked members of Congress whether it would be legal to coordinate industry-wide slowdowns to establish strong controls.
OpenAI chief scientist Jakub Pachocki has previously stressed the need for this step, however, such agreements between competitors could violate the famous Sherman Act.
In response to the legal uncertainty, members of Congress introduced legislation to protect such collaborations this summer and are now awaiting consideration. However, skeptics and experts (including OpenAI co-founder John Schulman) say the antitrust risks are a convenient cover.
The real reasons for the lack of coordination remain fierce market competition for cutting-edge models, concerns about China’s technological advances and deep differences between companies over how to ensure the safety of artificial intelligence. Amid recent cybersecurity incidents and new statements from former researchers about human risks, things are heating up.
