With former President Donald Trump’s reelection, Silicon Valley is now speculating on how the new administration will lean into business-friendly policies towards AI and cryptocurrency companies. Many venture capitalists and executives in Silicon Valley endorsed Trump due to his promises of loosening regulations, which they believe will benefit the development of AI. Trump’s allies have plans to make America first in AI by rolling back regulations set by the Biden administration. While Trump has expressed intentions to dismantle Biden’s AI policy on day one, there is uncertainty about how the new administration will balance the development of AI with potential risks.
The possibility of a laissez-faire attitude towards AI regulation under the new administration raises concerns about the training data used in large language models (LLMs) that power advanced chatbots. California has passed a law requiring AI companies to disclose their training data, but Biden’s executive order did not include licensing rules around this. Copyright holders have accused AI companies of using pirated content in their training data, leading to legal disputes. A study by Ziff Davis revealed that leading AI companies rely heavily on content from premium publishers to train their LLMs, raising questions about data transparency and copyright issues.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced that its open-source AI engine, Llama, is now available for use by US government agencies working on defense and national security applications. Despite Meta’s acceptable use policy prohibiting military and warfare applications, the company’s partners are using Llama for missions related to national security and aircraft maintenance. This decision by Meta reflects the growing trend of AI technologies being leveraged for defense purposes, raising ethical concerns about the impact of AI on global security.
In a bizarre turn of events, a state-funded radio station in Poland replaced its on-air journalists with AI-generated “presenters,” leading to embarrassment when the AI conducted an interview with a deceased poet. The incident highlights the potential pitfalls of relying on AI for media production. Market research firm IDC predicts a shift towards AI agents that can autonomously assess situations and take action without human intervention. Elon Musk’s vision of humanoid robots outnumbering humans within 20 years raises questions about the societal implications of advanced AI technologies.
As the development of AI continues to advance, concerns about data transparency, copyright issues, and ethical implications persist. The AI industry is facing challenges related to regulations, accountability, and the responsible use of AI technologies. The new administration’s approach to AI policy will shape the future of AI innovation and the ethical considerations surrounding its applications. With the increasing integration of AI into various industries, stakeholders must navigate the complex landscape of AI governance to ensure the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies.
