OpenAI is calling for binding safety requirements on the most powerful artificial intelligence systems, a reversal for a company that has resisted calls for regulation.
In a policy statement, the ChatGPT maker said voluntary commitments by AI developers were no longer adequate, and urged US lawmakers to act before Congress adjourns in December.
The call on Wednesday from OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane comes amid growing talk of lawmakers drawing up rules in the US Congress, where passing regulations targeting the tech industry remains a major challenge amid heavy lobbying and political contributions from the companies. OpenAI President Greg Brockman characterized the release as the beginning of the era of artificial general intelligence — the long sought-after goal of creating AI that equals human abilities in most fields. In line with the Trump administration, OpenAI had been opposed to US states going their own way on AI rule-making, asking instead that Congress create federal laws. That remains a tall order in politically divided Washington.
In a policy statement, the ChatGPT maker said voluntary commitments by AI developers were no longer adequate, and urged US lawmakers to act before Congress adjourns in December. Fears were further stoked by a viral social media post by Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, who said he was quitting the industry, accusing both US AI giants of “gambling with our lives” in the race to develop AI models capable of self-improvement. The company said it wants a federal framework built around common testing standards, independent assessment of frontier models, tougher cybersecurity requirements and mandatory reporting of serious safety incidents. OpenAI said any national safety framework should apply only to the handful of companies building the most powerful models, and should not be used to restrict open models.
