During a press conference at the White House late last week, Peter Doocy of Fox News asked Biden administration press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the president’s team’s current and unfolding responses to ostensible threats, or at least potential dangers, from artificial intelligence, otherwise called AI.
There have recently been some prominently circulating examples of that sort of technology, with available experiences for users including both text and image generation, besides apparent help with internet searches. There have also been far circulating examples of the remaining limits of this technology, which despite its generative powers remains largely dependent on human intervention. Nevertheless, Doocy sounded rather concerned.
“They want you guys to regulate it,” Doocy asked Jean-Pierre of AI, referring to perspectives from apparent experts highlighted in a recently circulating letter. “Will you?” Jean-Pierre pointed in response to already established priorities from the Biden administration, including upholding civil rights throughout the development of technologies in artificial intelligence, which could implicate privacy concerns, besides various other potential problems.
“You’re talking about the letter that was released yesterday?” she said. “So, look, it highlights a number of challenges addressed directly in the administration’s Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, which was released last October, as I’m sure you’ve been following, Peter. It includes principles and practices AI creators can use to ensure protections related to safety, civil rights, civil liberties are integrated into AI systems from start to finish. Right now, there’s a comprehensive process that is underway to ensure a cohesive federal government approach to AI-related risks and opportunities, including how to ensure that AI innovation and deployment proceeds with appropriate prudence and safety foremost in mind.”
Doocy, though, wasn’t done. “So, announcements aside, there’s an expert from the Machine Intelligence Research Institute who says that if there is not an indefinite pause on AI development — this is a quote — “literally everyone on Earth will die,”” the correspondent continued. “Would you agree that does not sound good?” Is Doocy a serious person?
There “is a cohesive federal government approach to AI-related risks, as you just laid out in a very dramatic way,” the communications official eventually replied. She generally restated that point, adding: “We’re going to move on. But thank you, Peter. Thank you for the drama.” Doocy’s line of questioning does seem reminiscent of the variety of openness to conspiratorial thinking that led to part of the embrace of 2020 election lies. Check out the exchange below:
Fox News’ Peter Doocy uses all his time at the White House press briefing to ask about an assessment that “literally everyone on Earth will die” because of artificial intelligence:
“It sounds crazy, but is it?” pic.twitter.com/CM0C5t79Wo
— The Recount (@therecount) March 30, 2023
