Washington Examiner columnist Guy Benson said while he has concerns about the development and regulation of artificial intelligence, he also worries about what the technology could do for other global superpowers.
“What I’m absolutely sure of is that whatever we are doing here, the Chinese do not care about those ethics … they want to beat us,” Benson said. “And it seems we’re sort of whipping ourselves up into this frenzy where we might let them.”
Benson recalled when he was younger, leading into the 2000s, when he saw fears rampant and concerns that “airplanes are going to fall out of the sky,” as well as hysteria about climate change. He said similar sentiments surround AI development now.
“I think there are legitimate worries that people have,” Benson said. “I have some of them, too, because it is this brave new world that’s a little bit scary but also very hopeful.”
Lawmakers and AI tech giants have pushed for regulation on AI, which has caused skepticism regarding their intentions. Benson said he didn’t trust either party with regulating development.
“I just don’t, No. 1, trust the government to know how to handle this at all,” Benson said. “Government is usually very bad at almost everything. I don’t necessarily trust the companies to do it properly because either they are interested in regulatory capture, in sort of setting the rules on anyone else so they don’t have competition, or they’re just like full speed ahead with no real ethical boundaries.”
GOV. WES MOORE STANDS BY MARYLAND’S AI DEAL WITH ANTHROPIC DESPITE PUSHBACK
President Donald Trump has pushed for the United States to further its AI development, repeating his mantra of, “Whoever wins AI, wins.” While the U.S. debates and contemplates whether to regulate the technology, and how, countries like China aren’t, Benson said.
“Letting them beat us in AI is one of the scariest things I can imagine in all of this,” Benson said.
