Commentary

Advocates Ask Federal Trade Commission To Halt GPT-4

Earlier this week, dozens of prominent technology executives including Twitter CEO Elon Musk urged developers to voluntarily suspend efforts to create artificial intelligence more powerful than Open AI's large language model software known as GPT-4.

The advocacy group Center for AI and Digital Policy is now calling for more drastic action. In a complaint filed Thursday, the group urged the Federal Trade Commission to halt further commercial releases of GPT-4.

GPT-4, which was commercially released on March 13, “is biased, deceptive, and a risk to privacy and public safety,” the organization writes.

“The outputs cannot be proven or replicated. No independent assessment was undertaken prior to deployment,” the complaint continues.

The Center for AI and Digital Policy -- founded by longtime privacy advocate Marc Rotenberg -- argues in the complaint that Open AI is aware of some risks posed by GPT-4, including that the model can reinforce harmful stereotypes, enable hackers to develop malware, and make it easier for propagandists to generate “highly realistic, deceptive content.”

The complaint cites numerous outside studies, as well as blog posts by Open AI itself.

For instance, the petition calls attention to a November Open AI post warning that ChatGPT -- which can generate content -- “will sometimes respond to harmful instructions or exhibit biased behavior.”

The petition also notes that Open AI recently said artificial intelligence systems “will have even greater potential to reinforce entire ideologies, worldviews, truths and untruths, and to cement them or lock them in, foreclosing future contestation, reflection, and improvement.”

The advocacy organization's request comes as recent gains in artificial intelligence have left the technology poised to disrupt numerous industries.

A recent paper by researchers from Open AI, OpenResearch and the University of Pennsylvania concluded that artificial intelligence models “could have notable economic, social, and policy implications.”

“Our findings indicate that approximately 80% of the U.S. workforce could have at least 10% of their work tasks affected by the introduction of GPTs, while around 19% of workers may see at least 50% of their tasks impacted,” an abstract of the paper states. “The influence spans all wage levels, with higher-income jobs potentially facing greater exposure.”

Musk and other technology executives calling for a pause on artificial intelligence -- including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Pinterest co-founder Pinterest co-founder Evan Sharp -- also pointed to the potential impact on employment. 

“Should we let machines flood our information channels with propaganda and untruth?” the signatories ask. “Should we automate away all the jobs, including the fulfilling ones?”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce separately issued a recent call to regulate artificial intelligence, writing: “If appropriate and reasonable protections are not put in place, AI could adversely affect privacy and personal liberties or promote bias.”

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