Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and others agree to AI safeguards set by the White House
- Proposed measures include watermarks to distinguish between real images and deepfakes, as well as security testing by independent experts
- But some advocates for AI regulations say more needs to be done to hold the companies and their products accountable
US President Joe Biden said on Friday that new commitments by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and other companies that are leading the development of artificial intelligence technology to meet a set of AI safeguards brokered by his White House are an important step toward managing the “enormous” promise and risks posed by the technology.
Biden announced that his administration has secured voluntary commitments from seven US companies meant to ensure their AI products are safe before they release them.
Some of the commitments call for third-party oversight of the workings of commercial AI systems, though they do not detail who will audit the technology or hold the companies accountable.
“We must be clear eyed and vigilant about the threats emerging technologies can pose,” Biden said, adding that the companies have a “fundamental obligation” to ensure their products are safe.
“Social media has shown us the harm that powerful technology can do without the right safeguards in place,” Biden added. “These commitments are a promising step, but we have a lot more work to do together.”