Soft-pedalling AI regulation is like playing with fire: Perilous

Governments have thrown caution to the wind for economic gains

- PARMY OLSON

Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak once thought artificial intelligence (AI) so risky that in 2023 he organized the world's first AI Safety Summit, inviting policymakers and longtime AI doomer Elon Musk to talk up guardrails for the boom sparked by ChatGPT. Two years on and his view has softened considerably.

“The right thing to do here is not to regulate,” he said last month, saying companies like Open AI were “working really well” with security researchers in London who tested their models for potential harms. Those firms volunteered to be audited. When I said they might change their minds in the future, Sunak replied, “So far we haven't reached that point, which is positive.” But what happens when we do?

Sunak’s U-turn from once saying Britain should be the “home of AI safety regulation” to wanting no legislation at all reflects a broader shift happening in governments around the world. Behind it is an urge to capitalize on tech that could revitalize stagnant economies and a sense that strict rules aren't needed without clear evidence of widespread harm.