OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Discusses Strategies To 'Mitigate The Risk' Of AI With House Speaker Mike Johnson

In a recent Capitol Hill meeting, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) came together to discuss the potential dangers of artificial intelligence technology.

What Happened: Altman and Johnson had a thorough conversation on the growing apprehensions around AI. While the Biden administration pushes for AI regulation, a divided Congress struggles to enact effective laws, according to a report by Reuters.

The duo discussed the “tremendous upside” of AI and also touched upon strategies to "mitigate the risk.” Altman showed enthusiasm for the legislative process outcome. Currently, Europe is ahead of the U.S. in terms of drafting AI regulations.

Altman said that they discussed “trying to balance this sort of tremendous upside and figure out how to mitigate the risk” of AI, adding he was “excited to see what the legislative process will do.”

Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT)-supported OpenAI transitioned from an open-source nonprofit to a capped-profit structure in 2019. Altman’s temporary removal from his position in November raised concerns among investors and staff. He was later reinstated with a new board’s promise.

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In October, President Joe Biden signed an executive order requiring AI developers to share safety test results with the federal government if their systems could pose a risk to national security, economy, or public safety.

Why It Matters: There’s a growing consensus that AI regulations, like President Biden’s executive order, will be ‘imperfect,’ as per International Business Machines Corp's (NYSE:IBM) CEO Arvind Krishna due to the complex nature of the technology. The CEO said that despite its comprehensive approach, no regulatory framework could perfectly encapsulate the intricacies of a fast-evolving technology like AI.

The European Union has also been moving closer to comprehensive AI regulation, with generative AI tools like those developed by OpenAI being a focal point. This meeting comes on the heels of these developments and reflects a growing international focus on AI regulation.

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