Have you ever seen Iron Man? Don’t you wish you had a virtual AI butler like Jarvis? If yes, then you’ll have to wait sometime for now. In recent years, AI has emerged as one of the most significant technologies of the 21st century. It has the capability to run a country as well as turn it to dust. This is why governments worldwide are talking about placing AI regulations. These AI regulations will limit the incorporation of AI in people’s daily lives. Recent developments have further increased the scrutiny towards AI.
Recently, a deep fake AI video was created in India that created buzz around the exploitation of AI. These recent developments have urged the government to regulate AI in the sense that it cannot negatively affect the people of a particular country. The first country to come forward with legislation for AI was the United States of America. They have put forward a bill which includes AI regulation as its main part. So, let’s understand why there is a need to put AI regulation in place and how the US’s new bill can affect AI worldwide.
What Is AI, And What Does It Do?
AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. It is a software which can predict and resemble human responses to things. It uses a process called machine learning, which allows it to learn from its interaction with the outside world. This is why AI has become the best replacement for things humans used to do. Today, there are many websites that incorporate AI to do basic things that humans once did.
What Are The Dangers Of AI?
AI has a lot of good applications, but it also poses a lot of dangers. The dangers do not include Ai being a sentinel being, but these dangers are much more related to people’s privacy and personal space. Moreover, many influential people have openly come forward to speak about the dangers AI presents; one of those influential people is Elon Musk. who is the owner of tech giants like Tesla and OpenAI. This is why AI regulation has become important. Here are some of the dangers AI poses:
Privacy
One of the major reasons why AI regulation has become important is the danger to privacy. Every citizen living in a democratic country has a right to privacy, and due to our dependency on technology, we are already giving up that privacy. The incorporation of AI will further increase this threat, making us vulnerable to a number of things.
Social Surveillance Through AI
Another application of AI is in social surveillance, which can further impact our privacy. The incorporation of AI in cameras means that they can be controlled remotely and easily with the help of AI algorithms. One prime example of AI’s incorporation into surveillance can be seen in China. The country has an AI-based Surveillance system and uses facial recognition in offices, schools and other social places.
Autonomous Weapons
Another reason why AI regulation has become important is the incorporation of AI in weapons. This makes these weapons autonomous. You might ask, what’s the problem? The first problem is that an autonomous weapon system means that there is no human being involved in the operation of the weapon, which means that the weapon bearer doesn’t have much to lose and can go into places no human will. Another and scarier reason is that AI is now developed to run on a given algorithm; the problem is that an algorithm will not see the difference between wrong and right. For example, if an AI algorithm is asked to shoot a person wearing a green shirt, there is a chance that the system will attack everyone who is wearing a green shirt; it doesn’t know what’s right and what’s wrong. This is why an autonomous weapon system can attack its own people, resulting in friendly casualties.
Regulations Placed On AI
Citing the aforementioned concerns about AI, many countries have introduced AI regulations so that AI cannot be used in something wrong or unethical. Let’s go through these AI regulations.
AI Regulations By The U.S.
Recently, the US has come up with an executive order on AI regulation. The government aims to decrease the effect of AI on its people. For quite some time now, the White House has been looking for ways to regulate the AI industry.
It is expected that some of the biggest AI companies like Open AI, Meta, Microsoft, Google, and others will be affected the most by this new legislation. For example, One of the major regulations is that any content generated by AI should be watermarked by the name of the generator so that anyone who watches that content will know that it is generated through an AI.
AI Regulations By Australia
Australia is also in the works of devising AI regulations. The Australian Computer Society, Business Council of Australia, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, AI Group, Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, and Tech Council of Australia jointly sent a letter to the Australian government to devise an AI regulation strategy. These organisations are concerned about the incorporation of AI by their employees.
AI Regulations By India
India has yet to pass any bill regarding AI regulation, but recently, the Indian government has announced that any person who uses AI to create deep fakes can be imprisoned and fined up to ₹3 lakh. This is because recently, a video went viral which showed a girl with the face of a celebrity when, in reality, the face was swapped using AI.
Our Take On The Matter
AI is the technology of the future, whether we like it or not. It is destined to become huge, so it’s better that we regulate it in a way that it can still be used to help people and not be used for unethical and criminal activities. Countries all around the world should consult with tech giants and come up with AI regulations that will not affect the growth of AI but its incorporation into illegal activities.
