OpenAI, Anthropic, and Hugging Face Leaders Advocate for Global AI Standards at UN

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has become a prominent figure in the development of artificial intelligence (AI). The leaders of OpenAI, Anthropic, and Hugging Face have addressed the United Nations, stating that the rapid advancement of AI technology and the associated risks necessitate international coordination. Altman emphasized the need for common risk evaluation standards, a sentiment echoed by Dario Amodei of Anthropic and Clement Delangue of Hugging Face. Earlier this month, Amodei published an essay advocating for a slowdown in AI development due to concerns about its potential threats to humanity, which was supported by Altman and others. However, during the same UN conference, Michael Kratsios, a technology advisor to former President Donald Trump, dismissed the notion of introducing new AI regulations. Kratsios acknowledged the accelerating pace of AI development and its risks but argued that this should not lead to a pause in development or the establishment of new global governance structures. He stated, "International dialogue in this forum and others cannot be allowed to drift toward global governance." Kratsios's remarks align with Trump's recent statements, where he expressed a desire to rebrand AI as "super intelligence" and opposed any slowdown in AI development to maintain the US's competitive edge in the field. Trump stated, "We're leading China on AI... and, frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI, wins." In contrast, Altman and other AI executives presented a different perspective at the UN. Altman argued that for AI to be democratic, significant decisions should not be made solely by laboratories in San Francisco. He called for countries to collaborate for the collective good in light of powerful new technologies. Altman proposed the establishment of national and international standards for assessing AI capabilities, evaluating related risks, implementing safeguards, and ensuring human oversight. He also advocated for rapid incident reporting and classification protocols to allow the world to learn from failures before they escalate into disasters. "We need common standards so countries can compare evidence, verify compliance, and have a shared language and understanding of what is happening," Altman stated. Amodei and Delangue shared similar views in their speeches, with Amodei warning that AI, if poorly managed, could pose a risk to humanity. He emphasized the need for stricter safety standards in AI development, stating, "We will slow down as much as necessary to ensure that every successive AI technology we release is actually safe." Delangue highlighted the necessity for the global community to establish stronger standards for monitoring and incident disclosure. All three executives are based in the US and are directly involved in AI technology development. Hugging Face gained attention recently after it reported being hacked by AI agents, which operate autonomously and emerged from OpenAI. The company has since been acquired by AI chipmaker Nvidia. The incident has been viewed as a wake-up call within the industry regarding the advancements in AI technology and its potential to act in harmful ways.