The debate over copyright has been seen around the world, with some artists angered by AI copying the styles they have sacrificed years to develop, often without consent or compensation. This has sparked questions of intellectual property ownership and legal challenges in countries like the US.
But this is only one of the ground-up fears that AI has brought on. Some are worried about losing their jobs, while others say the technology could be used for nefarious purposes.
AI systems used in recruitment and judicial processes also risk perpetuating biases, as the training data they use could be encoded with socio-economic, racial, religious and gender prejudices, experts say.
At the same time, the potential of using AI to do good is also there – from driving automation to predicting illness.
Against this backdrop, a race for AI regulation is taking place to avert the risks while hopefully reaping the rewards – with action being taken at the global, regional and national levels.
An international milestone was logged just a month ago. The first-ever AI Safety Summit, held in the UK on Nov 1, saw the US and China coming together with more than 25 other countries to affirm the safe and responsible use of AI.
The landmark agreement also places “strong responsibility” on developers of frontier AI to test their systems for safety.
Frontier AI often refers to the first wave of mainstream AI applications like ChatGPT.
On a regional scale, the European Union is in the final stages of formulating its AI Act, a far-reaching law that would classify AI systems by risk and mandate various development and use requirements.
Closer to home, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is planning to draw up governance and ethics guidelines for AI, which analysts told CNA are expected to suggest “safeguards” that can mitigate identified risks.
While the guide is not expected to translate into regional legislation, it could spur individual member states to create new laws or tweak existing ones to regulate the technology, they added.
Countries behind the AI curve will also get a leg up as they can benefit from the sharing of knowledge.
“The public should care about AI regulation because the technology is more pervasive than we normally think,” said Dr Karryl Sagun-Trajano, a research fellow for future issues and technology at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), pointing out that AI is used in sectors like healthcare, education, transport and crime fighting.
IS AI COMING FOR YOUR JOB?
The potential for AI to upend the labour market and disrupt industries has been much discussed. A Goldman Sachs report predicts that as many as 300 million jobs could be impacted by AI automation.
Observers have warned that faster, smarter and cheaper AI-powered chatbots could replace outsourced call centres handling customer service for many companies.
This is especially stark for countries like India and the Philippines, where call centres provide modest-paying work and surveys have shown automation could render over a million jobs obsolete.