Google’s position on AI regulation: Trust us, bro
If there was any doubt about Google’s commitment to move fast and break things, its new policy position should put that to rest. “For too long, AI policymaking has paid disproportionate attention to the risks,” the document says.
Google urges the US to invest in AI not only with money but with business-friendly legislation. The company joins the growing chorus of AI firms calling for federal legislation that clarifies how they can operate. It points to the difficulty of complying with a “patchwork” of state-level laws that impose restrictions on AI development and use. If you want to know what keeps Google’s policy wonks up at night, look no further than the vetoed SB-1047 bill in California, which would have enforced AI safety measures.
Credit:
Parradee Kietsirikul
According to Google, a national AI framework that supports innovation is necessary to push the boundaries of what artificial intelligence can do. Taking a page from the gun lobby, Google opposes attempts to hold the creators of AI liable for the way those models are used. Generative AI systems are non-deterministic, making it impossible to fully predict their output. Google wants clearly defined responsibilities for AI developers, deployers, and end users—it would, however, clearly prefer most of those responsibilities fall on others. “In many instances, the original developer of an AI model has little to no visibility or control over how it is being used by a deployer and may not interact with end users,” the company says.
There are efforts underway in some countries that would implement stringent regulations that force companies like Google to make their tools more transparent. For example, the EU’s AI Act would require AI firms to publish an overview of training data and possible risks associated with their products. Google believes this would force the disclosure of trade secrets that would allow foreign adversaries to more easily duplicate its work, mirroring concerns that OpenAI expressed in its policy proposal.
Google wants the government to push back on these efforts at the diplomatic level. The company would like to be able to release AI products around the world, and the best way to ensure it has that option is to promote light-touch regulation that “reflects US values and approaches.” That is, Google’s values and approaches.
