Ensuring AI is safe and beneficial to all demands more than greater regulation

Without legally binding governance standards, the foundation of modern AI systems will remain dangerously susceptible to abuse

However, legal means alone will be not be enough. A multipronged approach drawing from diverse fields, including ethics, is needed to bring accountability to AI systems

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Adam Au

Adam Au is the general counsel at a multinational corporation.

Published: 3:30am, 5 Jun 2023

According to Brandolini’s law, debunking misinformation demands more effort than creating it. This internet axiom could not find a more apt manifestation than in the era of artificial intelligence.

When a lawyer from a US law firm submitted an affidavit based on spurious legal research generated by ChatGPT, many joined the chorus of concerns about the output of generative AI tools. It’s easy to see this as primarily a legal issue. Mainstream media is quick to denounce those who failed to gauge the risks. Some might even take pleasure in seeing lawyers receive their comeuppance.

It was just one more example of the flaws of ChatGPT and its peers, adding to the arguments of those who are sceptical about them. Yet it would be a mistake to view this turn of events solely through these narrow lenses as the implications of generative AI tools extend far beyond the legal profession or people’s anxieties.

No one can truly claim to know how to wield AI-powered tools to the fullest. These tools will only continue to change as they take in increasing quantities of people’s data, reaching greater levels of intelligence and threat in the process.