Microsoft Chief Wants Humans To Control AI Strictly

Microsoft President Brad Smith called for the people behind artificial intelligence (AI) to be held accountable for shortcomings and urged lawmakers to ensure that safety brakes be put on AI used to control the electric grid, water supply, and other critical infrastructure, Diane Bartz reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: As part of a five-point blueprint for public governance of AI, Smith urged that special attention be paid to the electric grid, water systems, and other critical infrastructure.

For weeks, lawmakers in Washington have struggled with what laws to pass to control AI even as companies large and small have raced to bring increasingly versatile AI to market. In a blog post, Smith emphasized the need for accountability.

"This is the fundamental need to ensure that machines remain subject to effective oversight by people and the people who design and operate machines remain accountable to everyone else. In short, we must always ensure that AI remains under human control," he wrote.

As part of a five-point blueprint for public governance of AI, Smith urged that special attention be paid to the electric grid, water systems, and other critical infrastructure.

"New laws would require operators of these systems to build safety brakes into high-risk AI systems by design," he wrote in the blog. He urged the use of a "Know Your Customer"-style system for developers of AI models to keep tabs on how their technology is used and to inform the public of what content AI is creating so they can identify faked videos.

Last week, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the startup behind ChatGPT, told a Senate panel in his first appearance before Congress that the use of AI to interfere with elections is a "significant area of concern" and must be regulated.

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