Artificial intelligence ‘has to be regulated’

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE must be regulated because of the damage it could cause if left unchecked, the boss of Google said.

Sundar Pichai said the correct use of AI had the potential to save lives but issues such as the “nefarious uses of facial recognition” showed it could also be a danger to public safety.

Writing in the Financial Times, Mr Pichai said regulation of the technology was needed to prevent AI being influenced by bias, as well as to protect public safety and privacy.

He described growing up in India and how inventions changed his family’s life.

“Television allowed us to see the world news and cricket matches we had only imagined while listening to short-wave radio,” he said.

“Now it is my privilege to help shape new technologies we hope will be life changing for people everywhere. One of the most promising is artificial intelligence.

“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.”

Mr Pichai said existing rules such as the GDPR in the EU could be used as the foundation for AI regulation.

“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.”

He said the tech giant wanted to work with others on crafting regulation.