Alphabet CEO wants governments to regulate artificial intelligence

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai believes that the government should introduce regulations regarding artificial intelligence. Pichai writes in an opinion piece that politicians must take measures such as the GDPR to do so.

Pichai writes in a letter to the Financial Times about good things the company has done with artificial intelligence. He mentions an AI that helps doctors detect breast cancer and a model with which airline Lufthansa can reduce delays. “At the same time, history is full of examples of how the benefits of technology are not guaranteed,” Pichai writes. He mentions the development of the internet, which, in addition to connecting people, also resulted in the spreading of misinformation. Pichai says government regulation must and will play an important role in the ethical use of artificial intelligence, as well as facial recognition. He refers to the AVG, the European privacy law. “Existing rules can serve as a good foundation,” Pichai writes. Meanwhile, international cooperation is needed. “To get there, we need agreement on core values. Companies like ours can’t build promising technology and let the market determine how it’s going to be used.”

Pichai calls on governments to come up with legislation, but also looks at the role of tech companies themselves. He points to Google’s own rules for artificial intelligence. The company established guidelines in 2018 to develop and use technology ethically. Pichai specifically mentions the fact that Google does not develop anything for areas where mass surveillance or human rights violations occur.

Google is not the first company that is working on AI itself and at the same time is asking for regulation. Microsoft made that call years ago. Meanwhile, national and international governments are already drawing up rules. For example, the European Commission wants to impose a ban on facial recognition in public places.