PRESIDENT BIDEN CONVENED A GROUP OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE EXPERTS AND CONSIDER THE ROLE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

JOINING US IS A PROFESSOR OF INFORMATION SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON.

ALL OF THE WARNINGS ABOUT AI'S PRESENT FUTURE AND CONCERNS ABOUT INFORMATION AND MISINFORMATION, HOW SHOULD THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APPROACH REGULATING AI WITHOUT STIFLING INNOVATION?

>> IT IS A HARD QUESTION.

ON THE ONE HAND, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION RECOGNIZES THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND IS WORRIED ABOUT RIVAL NATIONS CHINA GETTING BETTER AT AI THAN WE ARE, AND AT THE SAME TIME, IT IS HARD TO DENY THE FACT THAT THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES TO THE DEPLOYMENT OF THIS TECHNOLOGY.

THOSE ARE THINGS LIKE THE THINGS YOU MENTIONED, PRIVACY, MISINFORMATION.

GEOFF: THE EUROPEAN UNION IS TAKING STEPS TOWARDS PASSING WHAT WOULD BE THE FIRST MAJOR LAW IN REGULATING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

IT WOULD ABANDON FACIAL RECOGNITION.

IT WOULD REQUIRE MORE DISCLOSURE FOR PROGRAMS THAT USE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

HOW IS THE EU MOVING SO QUICKLY, AND COULD THEIR MODEL BE FITTING FOR OTHER COUNTRIES?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PASSED A DRAFT OF THE AI ACT TO HEAVILY REGULATE SOME RISKY AI, BAN SOME THINGS THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN SEEING, AND USES A LIGHT TOUCH ON OTHER STUFF.

THE EXPERIENCE SHOWS IT IS POSSIBLE AND WISE TO HAVE REGULATION AROUND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

WHY ARE THEY AHEAD OF US?

THERE IS JUST A DIFFERENT CULTURE, JUST A DIFFERENT THOUGHT PROCESS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY IN THE EU.

IN THE UNITED STATES, WE ARE MUCH MORE CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING SURE WE CAPTURE THE PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICIENCIES AND INNOVATION AND MILITARY EDGE SOMETHING LIKE AI COULD CONFER, AND CONCERNED ABOUT KILLING THE GOOSE THAT LAYS THE GOLDEN EGGS, WHEREAS IN EUROPE, THEY ARE MUCH MORE CAUTIONARY.

GEOFF: HOW LONG MIGHT THE PROCESS TAKE IN THIS COUNTRY?

IT STRIKES ME IT TOOK 50 YEARS TO REGULATE CIGARETTES.

REGULATING SOCIAL MEDIA IS STILL AN OPEN QUESTION.

MIGHT THIS COME DOWN TO COMPANIES THEMSELVES HAVING TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN GUARDRAILS?

>> I HOPE NOT.

ALL WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS THIS BLUEPRINT FOR AN AI BILL OF RIGHTS, WHICH IS AWFULLY SIMILAR , A SIMILAR BLUEPRINT TO WHAT THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WORKED ON YEARS AGO.

WHAT WOULD HAVE TO HAPPEN, OF COURSE, IS CONGRESS WOULD HAVE TO GET INVOLVED OR INDIVIDUAL STATES WOULD HAVE TO PASS LAWS.

CONGRESS AND INDIVIDUAL STATES ARE GOING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT REGULATING, BUT IT SHOULD NOT BE LEFT TO THE COMPANIES TO MAKE THESE KINDS OF DECISIONS.

LEFT TO THEIR OWN DEVICES, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO FULLY ADDRESS FOR MITIGATE THE RANGE OF HARMS, WHETHER TO THE ENVIRONMENT OR JOB DISPLACEMENT, BIAS, PRIVACY, MISINFORMATION, THEY WILL NOT INTERNALIZE THOSE COSTS UNLESS THE GOVERNMENT MAKES THEM DO IT.

GEOFF: AND THE MINUTE WE HAVE LEFT, CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE PROMISE OF AI, SETTING ASIDE THE RISK ASSESSMENT.

WHAT GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAN DO IS EXTRAORDINARY, ORIGINAL ESSAYS, COMPOSING MUSIC, GENERATING CODE.

WHAT DO YOU SEE ON THE HORIZON?

>> THE FACT WE HAVE MOVED FROM ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SPOTTING PATTERNS TO COMING UP WITH OUTPUT THAT IS AS GOOD AS A HUMAN IN SOME CONTEXTS IS POWERFUL.

MY HOPE IS THAT IT WILL UNLEASH PRODUCTIVITY AND CREATIVITY WITHIN THE ARTS, WITHIN MUSIC.

I HOPE IT WILL ALSO HELP PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENCES, PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENTLY ABLED, ACCOMPLISH SOME OF THEIR GOALS.

MY OWN SON MADE A BIRTHDAY CARD USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

HE STRUGGLES WITH REDUCING THINGS TO WRITING.

THERE IS A LOT OF POTENTIAL THERE.

WE SHOULD NOT DENY THAT, BUT THERE ARE ALSO SOME REAL HARMS.

THIS IS TRULY A TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGY OF OUR AGE, AND WHAT NEEDS TO TRANSFORM OUR OUR LEGAL AND LAW INSTITUTIONS.

GEOFF: PROFESSOR OF LAW AND LEGAL INSTITUTIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.

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