The Group of Seven (G7) countries recently reaffirmed their commitment to the adoption of "risk-based" regulations for artificial intelligence (AI) on Sunday. The digital ministries of G7 nations have taken action as multiple European countries contemplate an AI act to enforce regulations pertaining to generative AI tools like ChatGPT.
The development is significant because developed nations have repeatedly emphasized the need for regulations, given the growing popularity of AI platforms similar to ChatGPT. Italy, a G7 member, decided to ban ChatGPT due to privacy concerns, but the ban was lifted on Friday. However, several privacy-strict European nations are still discussing the matter.
The G7 members also stressed that the regulations should "preserve an open and enabling environment" for the advancement of AI technologies, based on democratic values.
While the ministers recognized that "policy instruments to achieve the common vision and goal of trustworthy AI may vary across G7 members," the agreement provides a template for AI governance amid privacy concerns from various quarters.
"The conclusions of this G7 meeting show that we are definitely not alone in this," said European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager ahead of the agreement.
The use of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, has attracted significant interest from governments worldwide. The chatbot, developed by OpenAI, a company supported by Microsoft, has achieved record-breaking growth since its launch in November, making it the fastest-growing application in history.
The ministerial statement stated that they intend to convene future G7 discussions on generative AI, which could cover governance, safeguarding intellectual property rights (including copyright), promoting transparency, and addressing disinformation and information manipulation by foreign forces.
On Thursday, lawmakers in the European Union (EU) reached a preliminary agreement on a revised version of the upcoming AI Act. The revised draft incorporates clauses aimed at safeguarding copyright with respect to generative AI. This move comes in response to a call for a summit of world leaders to address the challenges of controlling this technology.
(With Agency inputs)
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