A look back at threats to leave Europe and progress in negotiations
As part of the AI Act bill, Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI and ChatGPT, had threatened to leave the European Union due to copyright disputes over content used to train artificial intelligence (AI) languages. However, according to Altman, things have changed following a week of negotiations with the European authorities. It now appears that OpenAI will continue to operate in Europe.
A world tour to plead his case and find compromises
Sam Altman has embarked on a truly global tour, talking to leaders in several countries, including the USA, Spain, Poland, France, the UK, Nigeria and Japan. The main aim of this operation is to ensure that future regulations are as gentle as possible for his company, while remaining open to compromise.
Fears about the European framework
Some voices are concerned about the restrictions imposed by the European Union on the use of AIs, such as ChatGPT. The EU’s future IA Act provides for a strict framework for these technologies, which could slow down their deployment and development. However, it’s important to stress that the development of a clear framework is intended to help companies as they prepare for European AI law, rather than hinder their progress.
A productive week of conversations in Europe
Sam Altman recently said on Twitter that he’d had a “very productive week of conversations in Europe about how best to regulate AI”. He added that he was delighted to continue operating on the continent, and of course had no intention of leaving. This announcement contrasts with his comments a few days earlier, when he raised the possibility of OpenAI ceasing to operate in the EU if the future European regulation were too restrictive.
The challenges of AI regulation
The question of how to regulate AIs arises not only in terms of copyright for the content used to train them, but also in terms of ethics, security and personal data protection. Rapid technological advances require an appropriate legislative framework to guarantee responsible development that respects people’s rights.
- Copyright: AIs must be able to use copyrighted content without infringing it, while respecting the intellectual property of artists and creators.
- Ethics: AIs must be designed and used ethically, to avoid discrimination and other undesirable biases.
- Security: Companies developing AI must ensure the security of the data they process, and protect their systems against malicious attacks.
- Protection of personal data: AIs must comply with current regulations concerning the collection, processing and storage of personal data.
Collaboration between European bodies and AI companies is crucial to achieving consensus on balanced legislation. It remains to be seen how the current negotiations and discussions around ChatGPT and similar AIs will play out over the coming months.
