Rules for the robot revolution: Ted Lieu on regulating artificial intelligence

Our daily lives increasingly rely on AI technology, from the facial recognition software that unlocks our smartphones to the smart algorithms that curate our search engine results pages. This “fourth industrial revolution,” as computer scientist and U.S. congressman Ted Lieu describes it, presents a challenge: how can people benefit from AI innovation and be protected from the harmful consequences of AI, from unwanted surveillance to systemic bias? In this op-ed also published in the New York Times, Lieu makes a case for why the U.S. needs a new federal agency to regulate AI.

Ted Lieu, "I’m a Congressman Who Codes. A.I. Freaks Me Out." Congressman Ted Lieu: Representing the 36th District of California, https://lieu.house.gov, 23 January 2023.

 

1. Ted Lieu makes an interesting move to introduce his “they say.” He uses ChatGPT, an AI writing software, to compose a paragraph that outlines the concerns people have about artificial intelligence. Why do you think he uses AI writing software to present his “they say”? Do you think this choice makes his argument more persuasive? Why or why not?
   
2. Why does AI “freak” the author out? What examples does he include to show how “unchecked and unregulated” artificial intelligence has caused significant harm to both individuals and our broader society?
3. Lieu argues for the creation of a “dedicated agency to regulate A.I.,” a nonpartisan federal agency akin to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Why does he think that an agency is better equipped to regulate AI technology than the conventional legislative process? What do you think? Is AI a problem for government to solve? Why or why not?
4. The launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 prompted a range of responses from students, teachers, and writers. Some argued that AI writing makes assignments like the college essay obsolete, while others encouraged teachers and writers to "embrace" AI writing. Read this AI-generated op-ed published by Harvard University’s student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson. Then, talk with a friend or classmate about how AI writing affects students and teachers. How do you think schools and universities should respond to AI writing software?

Comments

[Rami]

Useful

[Komalpreet Kaur]

AI writing software is a way that many can actually benefit from and also a way for people to get harmed. I would say it's a way to get harmed because some may believe that it's doing all the work for you, however it might be a way to learn. Lieu uses AI software to introduce his “they say” to show the main reason of cause. He has dual opinions on the AI writing software which makes it hard to really understand what's his main point of concern. I don’t really think it’s made his argument persuasive as much as he could have because many may argue that just because you think that way doesn't mean we have to agree on the same point. He says he's freaked out by the use of as he talks about the use of autonomous weapons, which can cause harm without real person intervention. He uses the example of a self-driving Tesla car that crashed and killed its occupant in 2016. He notes that the lack of regulations and accountability in AI's development and deployment can lead to more such incidents. This is not really something to use it as an example to look down on because incidents can occur with anyone. Even with a regular car malfunctions could happen. Lieu understands how it can also be a good thing to help certain people with specific things but he fears it causes unintended consequences. Overall, I believe that everything comes with consequences and we shouldn’t use that as a way to look bad upon things that we can actually benefit from.

[Brianna Pugh]

Technology has its ways that it can benefit and destroy others with how addicting it can be but we as humans have to find a way to learn how to control our time being in front of a screen. Also, society has new improvements on technology where it can impact the world but at the same time it can cause humans to become more addicted to technology which will cause them to lose touch with reality.

[R.D.]

Technology is the future and Artificial Intelligence is a part of that. I agree with the author that we need to regulate the parts of A.I. that are unchecked and unregulated. Like the author said, A.I. is already part of our lives. We use it to search up things on Google, we use it for music recommendations and use it to find the fastest route to get to work. Just as there are positives, there are also negatives to it, for example, A.I. can be used to write documents for someone or even create fake videos or photographs of somebody. Tesla uses A.I. in order to create its self-driving cars, which can be a slight problem if the intelligence fails while the driver is not paying attention. Perhaps one of the worst ways where A.I. can mess up with law enforcement. A.I. was being used to create facial recognition systems and there has been evidence that facial recognition systems are less accurate on people with darker skin. They can be a catastrophic error because someone could be falsely accused of a crime they never committed. With the amount of people that an A.I. can hold, it is a complete no-brainer that there must be some regulation introduced by the government in order to monitor it. The author proposes that the government creates an agency in order to overlook and regulate A.I. systems. I completely agree with the author and the author even adds that we have the FDA in order to regulate pharmaceutical drugs and food. Although our government is mostly composed of older people, they will soon be replaced in later years by the people of the current generation. It is inevitable that technology will be all over our society even more than it already is. We need to start now and react with legislation to regulate A.I. until it’s too late. The author argues that we need to preserve our future by acting now and I completely agree. We need to be careful with the power that we give A.I. if we do decide to give it power.

[Van Lai]

Today, the world is so advanced that there is the use of technology in every single aspect of people’s lives such as at home where they have their own laptop or in the car where they use navigation. However, individuals also live in a world where students are not honest, such as using the cheating software known as ChatGPT. Of course, it is not always used for the purpose of cheating where people could use the software to answer questions in a more formal way. In fact, Ted W. Lieu, California's 36th Congressional District in the U.S. The House of Representatives, using ChatGPT, wrote a summary of why Artificial Intelligence should be used. Surprisingly or maybe not, ChatGPT only mentioned the benefits of A.I. and making it sound like it is flawless. It is well-known that A.I. is not perfect and can happen to have errors at any time. For example, there have been many videos of Teslas’ autopilot causing car crashes found on Youtube. Or many have seen movies of A.I. taking over the world where humans are unable to gain back control over their technologies and have to fight back against its own creation, A.I. This could be a fear that many people think of when A.I. crosses their mind. Yet again, A.I. is on the other hand very helpful to humans such as where Lieu tried to establish legislation on facial recognition through the use of A.I. for safety purposes. However, Lieu may struggle being able to establish this legislation since it requires a lot of eyes to watch over each use of A.I. leading for many laws to be passed making sure that A.I. will not cause harm. While the use of A.I. may be dangerous and may one day take over the world, as long as laws are passed in making sure that it is regularly checked, A.I. should mostly be a benefit to people since technology is used in people’s everyday lives.

[Laksh K]

I agree with Ted Lieu’s argument for increased regulation of artificial intelligence in the United States. Firstly, the United States has a general trend towards deregulation in order to foster more growth. We have seen this backfire many times, such as when deregulation and loose policies increased the severity and number of collapses of so many banks in the last recession. Because of our growth and profit-obsessed culture, we are willing to throw caution to the wind in order to achieve the best returns. However, the risk to our way of life is much too high with artificial intelligence, which is why we should create a more focused regulatory body while this technology is in its infancy. As an example, the United States has never created a specific agency to regulate the internet, and we can see where that has gotten us. Almost forty years after the creation of the internet, there is very little regulation and constant threats due to radicalization online that could be prevented with more regulation. Our legislators are in constant debate while the effects of these technologies are unfolding because standards were not established when the internet first came to fruition. While artificial intelligence technology is just emerging, we have an opportunity to prevent the same mistakes from the past and introduce common sense legislation for regulation. One point which Lieu makes in the article is that we may not need to regulate artificial intelligence and its use in things like home appliances, but should regulate it in spaces where it can cause more harm, such as in vehicles. However, I think that it is dangerous to leave certain areas of artificial intelligence unregulated without a baseline due to the fact that there are privacy concerns, which Ted Lieu touches on in the article. Because of how ubiquitous artificial intelligence is set to become in our society, we need specificity in legislation to protect people from invasion of privacy and infringement on their daily way of life.

[karla]

Hello! I thought it was very creative that Ted Lieu utilized ChatGPT for the "they say" paragraph and after further reading, I would say that I agree with him. This is because as technology continues to improve and expand, it will prove to be incredibly hard to maintain a sense of privacy and security if nothing is done. Therefore, with having a federal agency dedicated to regulate AI, it will help ensure that everything is up to legal standards and that AI is not taking more information than it needs to take. If the agency was not federal, it would likely not make people feel as comfortable due to the fact that that would mean a third party would be handling it and that third party may not have been given consent by some people to deal with personal information. In addition, I believe that although AI has proven to be very promising for humans in the future, it does need to be regulated in order to prevent it from getting too far to the point where it is no longer manageable. From what I can understand, one of the biggest concerns is all of our personal information being sold or being put in the wrong hands. For this reason, I can agree as to why adding a federal agency to monitor AI would be beneficial. Between in real life to online, a federal agency can act as a stabilizer to ensure that everyone remains safe and only necessary information is released into the internet and to AI. In addition, a federal agency would be helpful in monitoring the legal aspects of what information is being put out for everyone to see and use. It can maintain government classified documents and ensure it is not being given to AI or being put online which would continue to ensure no problems occur and no information gets into the wrong hands.

[Maryam Qureshi]

I find myself in agreement with Lieu's argument that without proper regulations, we could inadvertently create a dystopian future where the harms of artificial intelligence outweigh its benefits. Lieu highlights several instances where artificial intelligence has caused harm, from disruptive deep fake technology to life-threatening accidents involving autonomous vehicles. The potential for artificial intelligence algorithms to perpetuate biases and discrimination is a serious concern that must be addressed to ensure fairness and social equity. The proposal to establish a dedicated agency to regulate artificial intelligence, similar to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pharmaceuticals, is an intriguing idea. Such an agency could provide the expertise needed to navigate the complexities of artificial intelligence while ensuring the protection of individuals and society as a whole. However, as Lieu rightly points out, the establishment of such an agency will be a formidable undertaking and should proceed gradually to avoid unintended consequences. I fully support Lieu's suggestion to create a nonpartisan artificial intelligence Commission that would provide recommendations on how to structure a federal agency for AI regulations. This step by step approach allows for careful consideration of different artificial intelligence applications, the establishment of the standards, and the inclusion of various people’s perspectives. Moreover, collaboration with existing initiatives like the National Institute of Standards and Technology's AI Risk Management Framework would be crucial in building a regulatory infrastructure. While it is encouraging to see more members of Congress with technological fluency and awareness of artificial intelligence's potential, it is essential to foster a multidisciplinary approach when addressing these complex issues. Engaging experts in Artificial intelligence ethics, privacy, and social sciences will provide valuable insights and help ensure that regulations strike the right balance between fostering innovation and safeguarding society. As we progress into the future, AI will be more and more part of our lives.

[NOSHAD S AZAD]

To present his "they say," Ted Lieu may have used AI writing software, such as ChatGPT. In the first place, the use of AI technology to express concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) illustrates the practical implications and potential risks associated with AI development. It is possible for Lieu to showcase the capabilities of AI while simultaneously discussing its limitations and ethical issues by using AI writing software.
Furthermore, utilizing AI writing software enhances credibility and expertise. In addition to being trained on vast amounts of data, ChatGPT can provide comprehensive insights into the topic. Lieu utilizes AI's extensive knowledge and language generation capabilities to articulate the concerns people have about AI concisely and coherently.
The effectiveness of Lieu's choice to use AI writing software depends on how well he contextualizes and explains the role of AI in his argument. In order to make his argument more persuasive, Lieu should provide clear explanations, address potential biases, and establish his own perspective.
These are just a few examples of the potential harm caused by unchecked and unregulated artificial intelligence. These concerns arise not from AI itself, but rather from how AI is developed, deployed, and regulated. Responsible AI development and the establishment of appropriate legal and ethical frameworks are necessary to address these concerns. The following are some examples: An inability to make ethical decisions: Risks associated with privacy and security: Autonomous weapons and warfare: Fake news and misinformation: Social control and surveillance powered by artificial intelligence.

According to Lieu, a dedicated agency to regulate AI would be better equipped than the conventional legislative process to address the unique challenges presented by AI.
In my opinion, AI is a complex and multifaceted issue that requires a comprehensive approach that combines government intervention and private sector collaboration. In spite of the fact that a dedicated agency could play an important role in regulating AI, it should not be solely responsible for addressing its challenges.
The government is not the only one that needs to solve the AI problem. To address challenges such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the impact of AI on the workforce, international cooperation and coordination are needed. The government, industry leaders, and civil society organizations should collaborate to develop appropriate regulations, standards, and guidelines to harness AI's potential.
A dedicated AI regulation agency may provide expertise, agility, and focus, but it should be part of a broader effort involving multiple stakeholders to strike a balance between regulation and innovation, and to address AI technology's societal impact efficiently.