Why Google thinks we need to regulate AI
Why Google thinks we need to regulate AI
Companies cannot just build new technology and let market
forces decide how it will be used
Sundar Pichai JANUARY 19 2020 The writer is chief
executive of Alphabet and Google
Growing up in India, I was fascinated by technology. Each
new invention changed my family’s life in meaningful ways. The telephone saved
us long trips to the hospital for test results. The refrigerator meant we could
spend less time preparing meals, and television allowed us to see the world
news and cricket matches we had only imagined while listening to the short-wave
radio.
Now, it is my privilege to help to shape new technologies
that we hope will be life-changing for people everywhere. One of the most
promising is artificial intelligence: just this month there have been three
concrete examples of how Alphabet and Google are tapping AI’s potential. Nature
published our research showing that an AI model can help doctors spot breast
cancer in mammograms with greater accuracy; we are using AI to make immediate, hyperlocal
forecasts of rainfall more quickly and accurately than existing models as part
of a larger set of tools to fight climate change; and Lufthansa Group is
working with our cloud division to test the use of AI to help reduce flight
delays.
Yet history is full of examples of how technology’s
virtues aren’t guaranteed. Internal combustion engines allowed people to travel
beyond their own areas but also caused more accidents. The internet made it
possible to connect with anyone and get information from anywhere, but also
easier for misinformation to spread.
These lessons teach us that we need to be clear-eyed
about what could go wrong. There are real concerns about the potential negative
consequences of AI, from deepfakes to nefarious uses of facial recognition.
While there is already some work being done to address these concerns, there
will inevitably be more challenges ahead that no one company or industry can
solve alone.
The EU and the US are already starting to develop
regulatory proposals. International alignment will be critical to making global
standards work. To get there, we need agreement on core values. Companies such
as ours cannot just build promising new technology and let market forces decide
how it will be used. It is equally incumbent on us to make sure that technology
is harnessed for good and available to everyone.
Now there is no question in my mind that artificial
intelligence needs to be regulated. It is too important not to. The only
question is how to approach it.
That’s why in 2018, Google published our own AI
principles to help guide ethical development and use of the technology. These
guidelines help us avoid bias, test rigorously for safety, design with privacy
top of mind, and make the technology accountable to people. They also specify
areas where we will not design or deploy AI, such as to support mass
surveillance or violate human rights.
But principles that remain on paper are meaningless. So
we’ve also developed tools to put them into action, such as testing AI
decisions for fairness and conducting independent human-rights assessments of
new products. We have gone even further and made these tools and related
open-source code widely available, which will empower others to use AI for
good. We believe that any company developing new AI tools should also adopt
guiding principles and rigorous review processes.
Government regulation will also play an important role.
We don’t have to start from scratch. Existing rules such as Europe’s General
Data Protection Regulation can serve as a strong foundation. Good regulatory
frameworks will consider safety, explainability, fairness and accountability to
ensure we develop the right tools in the right ways. Sensible regulation must
also take a proportionate approach, balancing potential harms, especially in
high-risk areas, with social opportunities.
Regulation can provide broad guidance while allowing for
tailored implementation in different sectors. For some AI uses, such as
regulated medical devices including AI-assisted heart monitors, existing
frameworks are good starting points. For newer areas such as self-driving
vehicles, governments will need to establish appropriate new rules that
consider all relevant costs and benefits.
Google’s role starts with recognising the need for a
principled and regulated approach to applying AI, but it doesn’t end there. We
want to be a helpful and engaged partner to regulators as they grapple with the
inevitable tensions and trade-offs. We offer our expertise, experience and
tools as we navigate these issues together.
AI has the potential to improve billions of lives, and
the biggest risk may be failing to do so. By ensuring it is developed
responsibly in a way that benefits everyone, we can inspire future generations
to believe in the power of technology as much as I do.
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