N. Peter Kramer’s Weekly Column
The revolutionary development of AI runs parallel to increasingly urgent warnings from the sector itself. Letting the AI dog off the leash will run into social, ethical, geopolitical, ecological, economic and financial objections.
In the 20th century international treaties were concluded to keep human progress on the right track, regarding the safety of civil aviation, shipping, space travel, frequencies and intellectual property. In the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, 193 countries agreed not to develop chemical weapons. There is also an international treaty regarding biological weapons and an agency that monitors them. The Non-Proliferation Treaty did not prevent some countries from developing nuclear weapons, but the International Atomic Energy Agency is listened to.
The negotiations on these treaties were anything but easy. There were usually decades between the developments and the treaties. But with regard to AI there is not much time. The development shows an incredible speed. See the increasingly urgent warnings from the sector itself. There are dangers for every field. In particular a massive reshaping of the labour market.
The time is ripe. The top executives of the largest AI companies are on board. Regulation certainly won’t bankrupt the big AI players. Now, it have to be the governments in international consultation that must determine a framework. Without further delay.
