Acting Swiftly: Paving the Way for the Future of AI

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The authors of this article are the United States Secretary of State and the United States Secretary of Commerce.

Abraham Lincoln once recognized the significance of certain inventions and discoveries that greatly facilitated progress in all other areas. He specifically referred to the written word and the printing press. Today, we find ourselves in another era, witnessing the invention of artificial intelligence.

Groundbreaking generative AI systems like GPT-4 are introducing a new era in technology. They are revolutionizing knowledge production by significantly enhancing machines’ ability to generate original content, perform complex tasks, and solve critical problems. Additionally, they are making AI more accessible to people, reducing barriers and increasing its benefits.

This new era also brings serious risks. These risks include the potential for AI to generate false information, reinforce bias and discrimination, be misused for oppressive purposes, or enable the creation of bioweapons and cyber attacks.

Despite these risks, which we are determined to minimize, AI holds tremendous potential to enhance people’s lives and address some of the world’s most significant challenges, such as curing cancer, mitigating climate change, and solving global food insecurity.

The future of AI, whether it contributes to a more equitable society, drives groundbreaking advancements, or becomes a tool for authoritarians, is in our hands. The question is not whether to use AI, but how to use it.

As the United States hosts many leading companies, technologies, and experts spearheading the AI revolution, we have the responsibility to lead in its governance. We are committed to partnering with others worldwide to shape the future of AI in line with our shared values and vision.

We have already taken steps to guide the use of AI. We have established a Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, outlining principles for the design and use of automated systems. Additionally, we have developed an AI Risk Management Framework to enhance user protections.

Last week, President Joe Biden announced a series of commitments from leading companies to enhance safety, security, and trust in AI. These commitments aim to mitigate risks, prevent misuse, establish technology and standards to differentiate between human and AI-generated content, encourage reporting on system capabilities and limitations, facilitate information sharing, and promote the development of AI systems that address societal challenges.

These commitments serve as a starting point to limit immediate risks while fostering innovation. They will be accompanied by collaborative efforts with partners worldwide.

In the following weeks, we will continue working with the G7 through the Japan-led Hiroshima Process to expand and internationalize these commitments. Our goal is to ensure AI governance aligns with democratic values, and G7-led actions can inform an international code of conduct for both private actors and governments, as well as common regulatory principles for states. We will also align our domestic approaches with other countries in forums like the US-EU Trade and Technology Council.

We will collaborate intensively with other governments to build a shared understanding of long-term AI risks and strategies to mitigate them. The United States eagerly anticipates participating in the UK’s Global Summit on AI Safety and other global engagement opportunities to create a more secure future.

The United States is committed to working with developing countries to ensure AI works for them and to design governance that considers their voices, as they are crucial to the global dialogue. India will play a critical role, including through the Global Partnership on AI. We are also actively exploring inclusivity for AI through discussions with the UN.

We will forge partnerships with countries worldwide, along with the private sector and civil society, to advance a primary goal of these commitments: creating AI systems that improve people’s lives. Currently, we are only on track to fulfill 12% of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. However, AI has the potential to accelerate efforts in delivering clean water and sanitation, eradicating poverty, promoting public health, and achieving other development objectives.

To shape the future of AI, swift and collective action is essential. No single country or company can single-handedly determine the course of AI’s future. While the United States has taken a crucial step, it is only through the combined focus, ingenuity, and cooperation of the international community that we can fully and safely harness the potential of AI.