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The conversation I see around AI regulation makes me wonder if we haven't considered some positive aspects. For example, the CFPB, FDIC, SEC, et. al. exist in

The conversation I see around AI regulation makes me wonder if we haven't considered some positive aspects. For example, the CFPB, FDIC, SEC, et. al. exist in order to regulate behaviors of certain financial services providers. From the perspective of fintech enthusiasts, much of this regulation is seen as frustrating yet quite sensible & justifiable. It is really easy to find ourselves in the position of being the customer with sensitive PII/$$$ on the table, and with this perspective in mind a lot of the rules feel pretty good. Perhaps regulations would be more along axis of "you cannot combine PII with a generative AI system for any application" or "please notify agency ABC if you intend to replace >50% of your workforce with robots". The tech sphere seems to keep reaching for "we will limit one (1) GPU per household", but I don't think this is the direction we are actually headed in. As an engineer working with banking and tech, I enjoy the presence of most of these regulations. The fact that rules are on paper and have consequences that the MBAs feel in their souls, gives me the ability to negotiate very strongly with them regarding what is "right" and "wrong". Steering ethical conversations is a lot easier when you have certain road marks to look out for. When everyone understands that "oh yeah if we don't disclose overdraft we are in hells: A,B,C & D @ audit time" things move like a well-oiled machine when the developer says something isn't compliant anymore.

everforward 3y ago
I don't think regulation is necessarily a bad thing, but I don't know that it makes sense to be this proactive. I've worked in fintech and for every regulation that I asked about, there was some event in history someone could point to and say "this is what it's trying to stop". Those regulations feel like the accumulation of a lot of painfully learned lessons over a long time. Some are more onerous than others, but they're all trying to prevent things that have happened. AI regulation feels speculative at this point. We're trying to guess at what issues AI could cause, then guess at what a reasonable solution to our hypothetical is. I'd rather legislators were waiting to swiftly head off issues if/when they appear, though my inner cynic says that "Congress" and "swift" do not belong in the same sentence.
- 2devnull 3y ago
  It’s worse than speculative, it’s hype driven. Everyone wants to do something ai related right now. For those who view their role in the world as The Regulator of Things, this means regulating the newest thing. This stems from the fact that politicians in the US are mostly professional media personalities.

everforward 3y ago

I don't think regulation is necessarily a bad thing, but I don't know that it makes sense to be this proactive. I've worked in fintech and for every regulation that I asked about, there was some event in history someone could point to and say "this is what it's trying to stop". Those regulations feel like the accumulation of a lot of painfully learned lessons over a long time. Some are more onerous than others, but they're all trying to prevent things that have happened. AI regulation feels speculative at this point. We're trying to guess at what issues AI could cause, then guess at what a reasonable solution to our hypothetical is. I'd rather legislators were waiting to swiftly head off issues if/when they appear, though my inner cynic says that "Congress" and "swift" do not belong in the same sentence.

2devnull 3y ago
It’s worse than speculative, it’s hype driven. Everyone wants to do something ai related right now. For those who view their role in the world as The Regulator of Things, this means regulating the newest thing. This stems from the fact that politicians in the US are mostly professional media personalities.