The Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP) has filed a complaint with the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against OpenAI, alleging that the technology company’s GPT-4 product violates consumer protection law. The CAIDP claims that the product is biased, misleading, and poses a risk to privacy and public safety, and argues that it does not have sufficient safeguards to limit bias and deception.
The Open Letter and Requests for AI Labs to Pause Training
Over 1,100 global AI researchers and executives, including Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and Twitter, and Steve Wozniak, Co-founder of Apple, have signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on AI experiments. The letter states that AI systems with human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity. The signatories argue that experiments with highly advanced AI models, greater than GPT-4, should be suspended to prevent catastrophic effects on society.
The CAIDP’s complaint against OpenAI alleges that the company violated Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair and deceptive business practices. The group is asking the FTC to require OpenAI to establish an independent assessment of GPT products before they are deployed in the future. They also want the FTC to establish a public incident reporting system for GPT-4, similar to the systems it already has in place for reporting consumer fraud.
The AI policy group is also requesting that the agency undertake a rulemaking initiative to develop standards for generative AI products.
OpenAI’s Response to the Allegations
OpenAI has responded to the allegations by claiming that GPT-4 is still less capable than humans in many real-world situations, even though it “shows human-level performance in various academic and professional benchmarks.” The company also argues that it complies with the practices proposed by the FTC related to the empirical robustness of the data and models used, as well as their transparency.
The OpenAI lab defines GPT-4 as its “latest milestone in the effort to extend deep learning.” This new system accepts the reception of texts and images and generates text. GPT, which stands for Generative Pretrained Transformers, is a type of machine-learning model used to generate human-like language. The GPT-4 is much more advanced than previous similar models.
The Importance of AI Regulation and Responsibility
The allegations against OpenAI and the open letter from top entrepreneurs and AI researchers highlight the importance of responsible AI development and regulation. As AI becomes more powerful and capable, it is crucial that companies and researchers take responsibility for the potential risks and consequences of their technology.
The CAIDP’s complaint against OpenAI is just one example of the growing push for more regulation and oversight of AI. As technology continues to advance, it will be important for policymakers and regulators to keep pace with the developments and ensure that AI is used in a way that benefits society as a whole.
