The Risks of AI Discussed in Senate Hearing

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The hearing on AI did not shy away from discussing the downsides and risks of AI.
The concerns about medium and long term risks of AI impacting not just jobs, but humanity as a whole were discussed.
Senator Richard Blumenthal asked all witnesses their biggest nightmare with AI; Sam Altman mentioned jobs, while Gary Marcus pointed out that Altman had skirted the question.

In a congressional hearing this week, OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, appeared to be on the same page as lawmakers: It’s time to regulate A.I. But like so many other proposals to regulate tech, will it actually happen? The Times’s technology reporter Cecilia Kang helps us understand whether Congress will actually act, and what that could look like.

Then, Casey talks with Twitter’s former head of trust and safety, Yoel Roth, before and after Elon Musk took over the company.

On today’s episode:

Cecilia Kang is a reporter at The New York Times covering technology and regulation.
Yoel Roth is the former head of trust and safety at Twitter.

Additional reading:

Sam Altman urged Congress to pass legislation to regulate A.I., including the proposal that A.I. developers should be required to get licenses from the U.S. government to release their models.
Casey Newton reported for This American Life on Roth’s time at Twitter, before and after Musk took over.