Efforts to Hamstring US States from Regulating AI are Counterproductive, Chief Scientist at Microsoft Says

Eric Horvitz, the chief scientist at tech firm Microsoft, warns that the proposed ban on American states imposing guardrails on AI are likely to impede artificial intelligence development instead of helping to advance the industry.

The provision in question is contained in the budget proposal currently being considered by the U.S. Senate after the House of Congress passed it.

Doctor Horvitz explains that this moratorium would make it harder for AI inventions to be translated into practical solutions. The guardrails that states can impose within their borders help to shape the practical applications of AI tools and without those guardrails, it is hard to imagine what would guide developers as they come up with their solutions.

Two key factors could explain the reasoning behind the proposal to ban state oversight or regulation of AI. First, the U.S. is concerned that the ability of states to impose restrictions on AI development could give China a chance to surpass America in the race to AI dominance. The U.S. wants to stay dominant and the ban can be seen in that light.

Secondly, the tech industry, including titans like Andreessen Horowitz, has been lobbying the federal government to deregulate the AI industry so that companies can have free reign to develop AI systems without being held back by state-level laws that can vary from one jurisdiction to another. At the federal level, the tech industry also wants minimal regulation for industry actors.

Horvitz says scientists have a duty to inform federal authorities that reliability controls, regulation and guidance are critical in helping the AI industry to develop faster in different directions. Without such oversight, the industry risks being held back, he adds.

Prof. Stuart Russell, a UC Berkley computer scientist, agrees with Horvitz. Russell says it is unthinkable that the government wants to allow technology firms to release AI technology whose creators admit that there is a 10-30% risk that AI could trigger the extinction of the human race. Such high risks wouldn’t be permitted in other technologies, Russell asserts, so it is unfathomable why AI is being treated differently.

Horvitz’s comments in support of state-level regulation of AI come at a time when there are reports that Microsoft, the company he works for, is part of a lobby group in Silicon Valley advocating for the passage of the moratorium included in the tax bill. Other reported members of that lobby group include Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG). It remains to be seen whether Microsoft will disregard their chief scientist’s views on this subject.

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