SAN FRANCISCO – President Joe Biden convened a group of technology leaders Tuesday to discuss what he called the “risks and enormous promises” of artificial intelligence (AI).
The Biden administration is trying to figure out how to regulate the emerging field of AI, looking for ways to nurture its potential for economic growth and national security and guard against its potential dangers.
“We will see more technological change in the next 10 years than we have seen in the last 50 years,” Biden said as he began the meeting with eight technology experts from academia and advocacy groups.
“AI is already driving that change,” Biden said.
The sudden rise of the AI chatbot ChatGPT and other tools have fueled investment in the sector. AI tools can create human-like text, music, images, and computer code. This form of automation could increase worker productivity, but experts warn of numerous risks.
The technology could be used to replace workers, causing layoffs. It is already being deployed in fake images and videos, becoming a vehicle for disinformation that could undermine democratic elections. Governments, as well as the European Union, have said they are determined to regulate and curb AI before it is too late.
Biden said that social media has already demonstrated the damage that technology can cause “without the proper security measures.”
In May, the Biden administration brought technology chief executives together at the White House to discuss these issues, and the Democratic president told them: “What you are doing has enormous potential and enormous danger.”
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients’ office is developing a set of actions the federal government can take in the coming weeks regarding AI, according to the White House. Senior officials meet two to three times a week to discuss this issue, in addition to the daily work of federal agencies. The administration wants commitments from private companies to address potential AI risks.
Biden met Tuesday at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco with Tristan Harris, executive director of the Center for Human Technology; Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media; and Joy Buolamwin, founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, among others. California Governor Gavin Newsom was also in attendance.
Biden is also in the San Francisco area to raise funds for his 2024 re-election campaign. At his first fundraiser of the night, Biden spoke about what he saw as liberties under siege, particularly for the LGBTQ community, and with the repeal of abortion protections by the United States Supreme Court. And as president, it’s her job to help safeguard the right to choose.
“I think the American people need to have the confidence that we are going to do what we say we are going to do,” he said.
Associated Press writer Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco contributed to this report.
