An issue in this class that really caught my attention was the subject of regulating AI and who should be allowed to use it. I personally do not think that the government should be allowed to regulate AI other than laws about if AI is actively harming someone (a deepfake, bullying, threats, scams, etc.). I think that companies should be required legally to develop a framework for safe use of AI. This could include requiring AI to explain its decisions so that users will be able to better understand it. I think too much regulation through the government could create a disparity, however, and cause civilians to be at a disadvantage. The government having access to a tool that civilians do not can be a dangerous thing and if the government is going to use AI with no regulations, civilians should be allowed that same right (within reason of course). I also think that regulating AI through the government could result in other countries developing technology faster than the US, which in a war scenario could be detrimental to our national security.
That being said, there are some types of AI, such as deepfakes, that are extremely harmful. Deepfakes have been used for bullying, scamming, and even threats. There was an occasion where a woman got a phone call of her daughter’s voice and her daughter claimed to have been kidnapped and needed a large sum of money as a ransom. The phone call turned out to be scammers trying to get money from the woman by mimicking her daughter’s voice using AI. This is an example of an occasion that this type of AI should not be available to the public. The companies that are developing these technologies should be required to screen what their tech could be used for and regulate based on that.