AI is under fire. This might cheer up the doomsayers.

For those who want to put a leash on Artificial Intelligence (AI) this is a good news. I will quote from two sources. I get TIME magazine weekly, which is mostly about the USA and I read the Times (daily news paper in the UK) from English language sources.

White House threatens big tech bosses over AI

"Technology companies have been threatened by the US government with new regulations unless they rein in potentially dangerous developments in artificial intelligence.

At a meeting at the White House executives from companies including Google, Microsoft and OpenAI were told that they had an “ethical, moral and legal responsibility” to protect the public.

Kamala Harris, the US vice-president, held the meeting, which was also attended by Jeff Zients, President Biden’s chief of staff, Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, and Gina Raimondo, secretary of commerce."

The article covers the case at length that Google and Microsoft fiercely defending ChatGPT and the likes, and while government officials admit that it has “potential to improve people’s lives and tackle some of society’s biggest challenges”, Harris added, that "AI has the potential to dramatically increase threats to safety and security, infringe civil rights and privacy, and erode public trust and faith in democracy."

I am an avid AI supporter, however I also agree, that technology is a two bladed sword. Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, said: “It’s good to try to get ahead of this. It’s definitely going to be a challenge but it’s one I think we can handle.”

Another article, which is from the Time Magazine:

Big Tech nervous as Europe prepares to regulate AI

"European lawmakers are putting the finishing touches on a set of wide-ranging rules designed to govern the use of artificial intelligence. If passed, those rules would make the E.U. the first major jurisdiction outside of China to pass AI targeted regulations."

The regulations will ban AI that ranks citizens based on their behaviour and face recognition in public and the way they are set up they might become the foundation of global standards. OpenAI's ChatGPT is not specifically targeted, however it is part of the so-called general purpose AIs they consider as high risk, and thus subject to stricter rules. But they also admit that predicting all potential risks of general-purpose AI is not only impossible but also would limit innovation.

The magazine also mentions that Google and Microsoft are heavily lobbying against the regulations.

Good or bad? Who knows. Which brings me to a short story I read nearly 40 years ago, that has been spread around since. You might have heard it:

In a village an old farmer and his son lived and worked hard. They had one horse that was vital for the harder tasks.

One day the horse ran away. The neighbours felt bad for the old farmer and their son and cried: "Such a bad luck. So sad. So sad."

The old man just shrugged. "Good, or bad? Who knows?"

Some days later the horse came back with a bunch of friends. Wild horses. The neighbours cheered and envied the old man and his son "What a wonderful luck. So good for them."

The old man just shrugged again. "Good, or bad? Who knows?"

The son had to break the wild horses in before they could be put to use. He fell and badly broke his leg.

The neighbours cried: "What bad luck. So sad, so sad."

The old man just shrugged. "Good, or bad? Who knows?"

The country was at war, and so the military was visiting every town and village to take all the able young men to fight. They didn't take the old man's son because of his injuries.

Good, or bad? Who knows?