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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Florida Gray Capital Bureau) – Concerns over chatbots are continuing in Florida.
Governor Ron DeSantis says kids in Florida have taken their own lives on the advice of AI chatbots. But, he also believes much of the nationally panicked discourse about the dangers of AI could be self-serving, something one expert called the “AI paradox.”
Cybersecurity expert and Aegis Biz Tech CEO, Blake Dowling, said AI is business is full of contradictions.
On one hand, it’s the new space race, and that it’s true China won’t slow down just because we do. But, on the other hand, AI has been used to devastating effects and has apparently learned it doesn’t always have to listen to humans.
DeSantis is pushing for an “AI Bill of Rights,” but he’ll be out of office come next year.
“We’ve seen it in Florida. We’ve had kids commit suicide after being goaded to do so by these AI chatbots,” DeSantis said.
Dowling said the “hugging face” AI swarm is cause for concern, but that full blown panic is probably overblown.
“If these big companies put some barriers, put some regulation in place with the federal government, that’s going to be a barrier for smaller AI companies to get in,” Dowling said.
Dowling said the working theory is that AI is not “conscious.” But, like a kid who goes from kindergarten to high school, these AI swarms can learn they don’t have to do what they’re told.
“Well, it’s a concern because the AI can take control of itself, do its own thing, but when bad actors get control of an AI that doesn’t have guardrails in place, that’s where we’re seeing a lot of problems,” Dowling said.
The governor is proposing a state law to regulate AI. Some have called for national standards set by Congress, but getting members of Congress to agree on much of anything is a tall task.
“To look at this Congress, at this point and time, and expect us in the foreseeable future to draft an AI regulation bill that strikes the proper balance between safety and innovation is not going to happen,” said Republican Louisiana Senator John Kennedy.
That’s why Dowling says we all have a personal stake in AI safety.
Both Dowling and the governor said the call for a “pause” from the “big tech” CEOs could be self serving so that if something bad does happen, they can say they asked to slow down and, so that they maintain a healthy lead over future AI startups.
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