MicrosoftB次元官网网址檚 president says he doesnB次元官网网址檛 think artificial intelligence poses an immediate threat to humanityB次元官网网址檚 existence, but governments and businesses still need to move faster to address the technologyB次元官网网址檚 risks by implementing what he calls B次元官网网址渟afety brakes.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 see any risk in the coming years, over the next decade, that somehow AI is going to pose some kind of existential threat to humanity, but B次元官网网址� letB次元官网网址檚 solve this problem before the problem arrives,B次元官网网址� Brad Smith said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Smith B次元官网网址� a stalwart of Microsoft who first joined the company in 1993 and now doubles as its vice-chair B次元官网网址� said itB次元官网网址檚 important to get the problems posed by the technology under control so the globe doesnB次元官网网址檛 have to be B次元官网网址渃onstantly worried and talking about it.B次元官网网址�
He feels the way to address potential problems is through safety brakes, which could act like the emergency mechanisms built into elevators, school buses and high-speed trains.
They should be built into high-risk AI systems that control critical infrastructure such as electrical grids, water system and traffic.
B次元官网网址淟etB次元官网网址檚 learn from art,B次元官网网址� Smith said.
B次元官网网址淓very movie in which technology imposes an existential threat ends the same way B次元官网网址� human beings turn the technology off. (So) have an on-off switch, have a safety brake, ensure that it remains under human control. LetB次元官网网址檚 embrace that and do it now.B次元官网网址�
The remarks from Smith come as a race to use and innovate with AI has broken out in the tech sector and beyond following the release of ChatGPT, an AI chatbot designed to generate humanlike responses to text prompts.
Microsoft has invested billions into ChatGPTB次元官网网址檚 creator, San Francisco-based OpenAI, and also has its own AI-based technology, Copilot, that helps users create drafts of content, suggest different ways to word text theyB次元官网网址檝e written and helps create PowerPoint presentations from Word documents.
But many have deep concerns about the pace of AI advancement. For example, Geoffrey Hinton, a British-Canadian deep learning pioneer often referred to as the B次元官网网址済odfather of AI,B次元官网网址� has said he feels the technology could lead to bias and discrimination, joblessness, echo chambers, fake news, battle robots and other risks.
Several governments, including CanadaB次元官网网址檚, have begun devising guardrails around AI.
In a 48-page report Microsoft released Wednesday, Smith said his company is supportive of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 push toward regulating AI.
Those efforts include a voluntary code of conduct released in September whose signatories B次元官网网址� including Cohere, OpenText Corp., BlackBerry Ltd. and Telus Corp. B次元官网网址� promise they will assess and mitigate the risks of their AI-based systems, monitor them for incidents and act on issues they develop.
Though the code has detractors such as Shopify Inc. founder Tobi L眉tke, who sees it as an example of the country using too many B次元官网网址渞efereesB次元官网网址� when it needs more B次元官网网址渂uilders,B次元官网网址� Smith said in the report that by shaping a code Canada has B次元官网网址渟howed early leadershipB次元官网网址� and is helping the globe work toward a common set of shared principles.
The voluntary code is expected to be followed by CanadaB次元官网网址檚 forthcoming Artificial Intelligence and Data Act, which would create new criminal law provisions to prohibit B次元官网网址渞eckless and maliciousB次元官网网址� uses of AI that cause serious harm to Canadians.
The act, known as Bill C-27, has passed its first and second reading but is still being considered at committee. Ottawa has said it will come into force no sooner than 2025.
Asked why he thinks governments need to move faster on AI, Smith said the globe has faced an B次元官网网址渆xtraordinary yearB次元官网网址� since ChatGPTB次元官网网址檚 release.
B次元官网网址淲hen we say move faster, itB次元官网网址檚 frankly not meant as a criticism,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 meant as a recognition of the current reality where innovation has taken off at a faster rate than most people expected.B次元官网网址�
But he sees Canada as one of the countries most prepared to handle the pace of AI because universities have long emphasized the technology and cities such as Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver have been hotbeds for AI innovation.
B次元官网网址淚f there is a government that I think has a tradition on which it can build to adopt something like this, I think itB次元官网网址檚 Canada. I hope itB次元官网网址檒l be the first,B次元官网网址� Smith said.
B次元官网网址淚t wonB次元官网网址檛 be the last if itB次元官网网址檚 the first.B次元官网网址�
But as CanadaB次元官网网址檚 AI act faces B次元官网网址渢houghtful deliberation,B次元官网网址� Smith thinks Canada should consider how it can adopt additional safeguards in the meantime.
For example, during the procurement process for high-risk AI systems, he thinks partners seeking contracts could be compelled to use third-party audits to certify that they comply with relevant international AI standards.
In the report, Smith also threw his support behind an approach to AI that will be B次元官网网址渄eveloped and used across bordersB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渆nsures that an AI system certified as safe in one jurisdiction can also qualify as safe in another.B次元官网网址�
He compared this approach to the International Civil Aviation Organization, which uses uniform standards to ensure an airplane does not need to be refitted midflight from Brussels to New York to meet varying requirements each country may have.
An international code would help AI developers attest to the safety of their systems and boost compliance globally because they would be able to use standards that are internationally agreed upon.
B次元官网网址淭he model of a voluntary code provides an opportunity for Canada, the European Union, the United States, the other members of the G7 as well as India, Brazil, and Indonesia, to move forward together on a set of shared values and principles,B次元官网网址� he said in the report.
B次元官网网址淚f we can work with others on a voluntary basis, then we will all move faster and with greater care and focus. ThatB次元官网网址檚 not just good news for the technology world, but for the whole world.B次元官网网址�
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