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Artificial intelligence
OpinionComment
Adam Au
Adam Au

Macroscope | Ensuring AI is safe and beneficial to all demands more than greater regulation

  • Without legally binding governance standards, the foundation of modern AI systems will remain dangerously susceptible to abuse
  • However, legal means alone will be not be enough. A multipronged approach drawing from diverse fields, including ethics, is needed to bring accountability to AI systems

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Participants of the Saxony state government’s congress in Dresden, Germany, on artificial intelligence on May 25 stand in front of an AI avatar that combines human interactions with current knowledge. Photo: DPA
Adam Au
According to Brandolini’s law, debunking misinformation demands more effort than creating it. This internet axiom could not find a more apt manifestation than in the era of artificial intelligence.
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When a lawyer from a US law firm submitted an affidavit based on spurious legal research generated by ChatGPT, many joined the chorus of concerns about the output of generative AI tools. It’s easy to see this as primarily a legal issue. Mainstream media is quick to denounce those who failed to gauge the risks. Some might even take pleasure in seeing lawyers receive their comeuppance.

It was just one more example of the flaws of ChatGPT and its peers, adding to the arguments of those who are sceptical about them. Yet it would be a mistake to view this turn of events solely through these narrow lenses as the implications of generative AI tools extend far beyond the legal profession or people’s anxieties.

No one can truly claim to know how to wield AI-powered tools to the fullest. These tools will only continue to change as they take in increasing quantities of people’s data, reaching greater levels of intelligence and threat in the process.

In one instance, an AI-powered chatbot left its programmer in shock by demonstrating what he considered a level of humanlike sentience. These advancements leave us with much to consider.
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Fully comprehending the impact of freewheeling AI tools might be difficult, but we can’t afford to just sit back and watch. As the development of AI accelerates, the associated risks will expand. Even those standing on the sidelines could be affected as AI widens its reach.

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