Opinion: Hands off AI — let innovators develop tech’s last frontier

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has taken an increasing role in society, with chatbots in particular emerging as one of the more popular and feared forms. In this crucial juncture, it is vital to let innovation proceed without premature, excessive regulation. The ChatGPT model, developed by the OpenAI company, already has more than 100 million users.

It is commonly used for research, writing and solving math problems. Other software like Microsoft’s Bing Chat, and Google’s Bard have also become popular. AI chatbots have demonstrated numerous advantages as research tools and idea generators, from recipes to jokes to writing essays on Newtonian physics.

Through development they can become an essential tool in increasing efficiency for a variety of tasks, becoming a boon for businesses that strive for greater profits from an existing workforce. Yet, the key is development. Many of these benefits cannot be realized without the investment to improve the technology through more testing and time.

There have been numerous concerns about these chatbots giving incorrect information, plagiarizing sources, insulting users, and more. Many notable figures have voiced the need to restrain development, with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk advocating for a pause in development. Members of Congress also are concerned about AI’s negative potential.

Yet, it is unrealistic to regulate an industry in its infancy without it having clearly shown its faults. We could always move quickly to fix major issues if companies fail to resolve them over time. We can see the differences between the calls for increased regulation of AI versus social media.

The latter is more warranted, as companies have not adequately addressed numerous privacy concerns, or stopped the spread of blatant misinformation – despite a decade of efforts to improve the technology. Unlike social media, with AI chatbots, it is not yet apparent what must be fixed through regulation and what can be solved through time to improve the product. Certainly, there are present concerns with AI, such as misuse for school assignments or other situations where it is banned.

But efforts are also underway to fix these problems. Edward Tian has developed GPTZero, a tool that can find AI use in writing. OpenAI also is developing its AI text classifier, while acknowledging its unreliability thus far.

Improvement of these AI “checkers” will only come in conjunction with the growth of regular AI chatbots. Their development will only be able to continue when companies are free to direct resources without fear of government regulation that can halt development or force different paths. Recent hearings in Congress regarding the tech industry reflect other challenges lawmakers may be facing; the hearings regarding TikTok and Facebook come to mind, during which lawmakers struggled to understand key ideas.

Only Republican Representative Jay Obernolte, of California’s 23rd district, has a master’s degree in AI. Moreover, as Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an interview with “Good Morning America,” regulators face difficulties due to the fast-paced growth of the industry. This, compounded by the infancy of AI chatbots, makes it difficult for Congress to regulate the industry.

This is not to say there should be no guidelines. Government should emphasize the need to maintain users’ privacy and accommodate existing copyright policies. Companies should develop chatbots in an ethical and relatively transparent manner.

Developers should be allowed to fix mistakes and provide software patches. The key is to ensure that these guidelines help keep AI development off questionable side roads, without stifling innovation. .