China Signs Joint AI Commitments With US, UK, EU

Delegates from Germany, France, Spain, Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and other countries signed the Bletchley Declaration, pledging to increase transparency for industry, set proper testing metrics and fund public-sector research. “We call for global collaboration to share knowledge and make AI technologies available to the public under open source terms,” China’s Vice Minister-Science and Technology Wu Zhaohui said during the AI Safety Summit in London.

Vice President Kamala Harris also attended and called for a “collective,” international vision on a rapidly evolving technology that has the potential to do “profound good” and cause “profound harm.” She announced draft policy guidance for federal agencies, a political declaration on responsible military use and funding commitments from several philanthropic organizations.

Government leaders, civil society and the private sector need to work together so that AI technology “creates opportunity,” advances equity and protects fundamental rights, she said. Harris highlighted threats to privacy, civil rights and cybersecurity on an unprecedented scale. These issues “demand global action,” she said.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his bipartisan AI legislative working group, including Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind.; Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.; and Mike Rounds, R-S.D. The “whole world” will be looking to the Senate for AI legislation, Schumer said on the Senate floor Wednesday: “We will work hard to get the best possible bipartisan legislation done.”

He hosted another all-Senate forum on AI technology Wednesday. The guest list included officials from Google, the Communications Workers of America, Microsoft, the Center for American Progress, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Clearview AI, the Information Technology Industry Council and Epic.

CWA in a statement Wednesday said government policy should recognize the need for collective bargaining and union contracts, which will allow workers to have a say in AI technology implementation. The government should ban “abusive surveillance in the workplace,” uphold worker privacy protections and provide avenues for appealing AI decisions to humans, said CWA.

Fight for the Future criticized Schumer for inviting ClearView AI, a company that’s faced legal issues in the U.S., the EU and the U.K. related to its biometric technology. “Inviting Clearview to a discussion about how to regulate artificial intelligence is like inviting an arsonist to a meeting about fire safety,” said Fight for the Future Director Evan Greer. “There couldn’t be a more egregious example of a company with a business model that is fundamentally incompatible with basic human rights and responsible use of AI technology.” Schumer’s office and the company didn’t comment.

Given the attention on AI, there has been a political “rush” to provide assurances to the public, IBM Chief Privacy Officer Christina Montgomery said during a Wednesday event at Harvard Law School. “There’s very much a danger to regulate [in] a moment of fear,” she said. Legislation is needed, but this is a “long-term marathon, not a sprint.” She called for a national privacy law, rules around AI explainability and data transparency.

The AI concerns discussed today could become “yesterday’s news” in a few years, said Meta Data Protection Director John Fiske during the Harvard event. Given the technology’s rapid development, it might make sense to have a “rethink” about online safety at a “fundamental level” in a few years, he said.