Microsoft-backed BSA calls on Congress to create AI rules and guidelines

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Microsoft-backed BSA calls on Congress to create AI rules and guidelines

Tech companies publish guidelines to rally Congress into creating clear rules about the development of artificial intelligence (AI).

Published on 27th April 2023

Through the starting months of 2023, AI has become a mainstream technology faster than most people expected. OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot and GPT-4 generative AI have already changed the tech industry. Microsoft has embraced OpenAI through major investments and brought GPT-4 to most of its services. However, there are growing concerns about AI development, security, and lack of regulation.

BSA, an advocacy group that speaks for major companies within the tech sector, has published a document that provides a list of ground rules for AI development. Now it wants Congress in the United States to define the rules of what tech companies are expected to deliver when creating AI models.

The group represents companies like Adobe, Oracle, SAP, IBM, and more and was founded by Microsoft in 1988. Aside from urging lawmakers to clearly define regulatory requirements, BSA is also seeking a federal review of company compliance certifications. Notably, the group wants there to be rules for the development of high-risk AI.

Craig Albright, vice president of U.S. government relations at BSA, says:

“We’re an industry group that wants Congress to pass this legislation. So we’re trying to bring more attention to this opportunity. We feel it just hasn’t gotten as much attention as it could or should. It’s not meant to be the answer to every question about AI, but it’s an important answer to an important question about AI that Congress can get done”.

Changing the AI Development Landscape

The American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA) is the best way to implement new AI regulations, according to BSA. They hope that the new version of the ADPPA will include their proposals for AI governance. They have also shared their ideas with the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which seems receptive to different perspectives. The bill still has a long way to go before it becomes law, and BSA has suggested a framework for the government to follow.

In recent weeks we have seen a growing pushback against artificial intelligence chatbots such as ChatGPT – and by association Microsoft’s Bing Chat. There is concern about the ongoing development of AI and even around the regulatory situation of the technology. Yesterday, Israeli venture firm Team8 issued a report showing that AI chatbots such as Bing Chat and ChatGPT could be a danger to privacy and data within organizations.

Microsoft has done more than any other company to mainstream AI. By leveraging OpenAI’s GPT-4, the company now uses the AI in Office (Microsoft 365 Copilot), Bing (Bing Chat and Bing Image Creator), Microsoft Cloud (Azure OpenAI Service), CRM/ERP (Dynamics 365 Copilot), and programming (GitHub Copilot X).