Sam Altman, who emphasized "need for regulation" in the US,
campaigns in Europe against "excessive regulation"...
"The details of the (regulation proposal) are really important. We will truly try to comply, but if we cannot, we will withdraw our operations."
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the developer that sparked the global wave of generative artificial intelligence (AI), said this on the 24th (local time) while attending an event at University College London (UCL) in the UK. He was referring to the AI-related regulation proposal being promoted by the European Union (EU). This statement contrasted with his remarks just days earlier at a U.S. congressional hearing, where he argued that "AI regulation is necessary" and that "an international organization like the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is needed."
Two days later, on the 26th, he reversed his stance on Twitter, saying, "We intend to continue operations (in Europe) and have no plans to leave," but his remarks attracted significant attention. CEO Altman visited major European cities including Spain, Poland, France, Germany, and the UK from the 22nd to the 26th.
Why did he mention the possibility of withdrawing operations in Europe due to AI regulations? Why did he publicly state within a few days that regulation is necessary but also that it might be difficult to comply with regulations and that operations might be withdrawn?
◆ EU, the world's first AI regulation in progress... skeptical about high-risk system classification
The EU is pushing forward the world's first AI regulation proposal. The EU Parliament has reached a principle agreement on the draft bill prepared earlier this month and is expected to proceed with related procedures soon at the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission. Currently, the bill is expected to pass the European Parliament on the 14th of next month.
The EU is famous as a 'big tech attacker.' Europe has maintained pressure on IT companies for years by introducing laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018 and the Digital Markets Act to prevent monopolies by big tech companies. Major global big tech companies like Meta Platforms (Facebook's parent company), Google, and Amazon have all experienced kneeling before Europe's strong regulations.
Based on these activities, Europe has solidified its leadership as a regulatory authority worldwide. Many IT-related rules introduced proactively by Europe have been adopted as global standards, increasing the likelihood of regulatory expansion worldwide. If the AI regulation proposal currently being promoted by the EU is adopted, it means that not only EU member states but also other countries are likely to follow it.
CEO Altman threatened that if it is judged difficult to comply with the AI regulation proposal made by the EU, operations might be suspended.
The reason he reacts this way to the EU's AI regulation proposal is due to some of its contents. According to The Times and others, CEO Altman is skeptical about the definition of 'high-risk systems' included in the EU regulation draft. If the EU's AI regulation draft is applied, large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT will be classified as high-risk systems. Accordingly, they must comply with additional safety requirements.
CEO Altman stated, "It depends on whether we can solve (the EU's) requirements," and asserted, "We will try, but there are technical limits to what we can do."
Additionally, the AI regulation proposal being developed by the EU reportedly includes provisions requiring AI companies to design systems so they cannot produce illegal content and to summarize and provide copyright information of data used in AI training, according to the U.S. economic media Business Insider. OpenAI does not display copyright information for ChatGPT's data and does not disclose information such as costs related to training.
Initially, the EU Parliament intended to regulate so that generative AI could not use copyrighted materials at all. However, during the subsequent discussions, the bill was softened to require only the disclosure of copyrights to pass the legislation.
For these reasons, CEO Altman appears to emphasize that while concerns about AI misuse are growing and the need for regulation is stressed in the U.S., the details of the regulations being promoted in Europe should be scrutinized and excessive regulation should be avoided.
◆ Altman visits Europe to lobby... starting with 'presidency' Spain
CEO Altman's European tour was filled with schedules responding to AI regulations.
The fact that Spain was his first European visit destination is interpreted as a political decision. The rotating presidency of the EU Council changes every six months, and Spain is scheduled to hold this role in the second half of this year. Accordingly, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is expected to lead discussions related to AI regulation, and Spain's diplomatic influence on this issue is anticipated to be greater than usual.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (left in the photo) and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (Photo by Sanchez, captured from the Prime Minister's SNS video)
French President Emmanuel Macron (left in photo) and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]
With the popularity of ChatGPT, heads of state from various countries showed interest in meeting CEO Altman, and he conveyed his views to EU member states voting on the regulation proposal one after another. During meetings with Prime Minister Sanchez, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, CEO Altman reportedly continuously expressed concerns about excessive regulation.
However, it is difficult to predict what results CEO Altman's activities will bring. Although CEO Altman told reporters in London, "I heard that withdrawal is being discussed," EU lawmakers immediately opposed his remarks. Thierry Breton, the EU Commissioner responsible for internal market issues, said, "This regulation proposal was not made for negotiation." Romanian EU lawmaker Dragos Tudorache also dismissed the idea, saying, "There has been no discussion of withdrawal."
U.S. IT specialist media TechCrunch reported that while big tech CEOs often say they support regulations, they frequently refer to regulations they propose themselves rather than those made by government authorities. It added, "It reminds us of the whistle-stop tours Mark Zuckerberg (Meta CEO) and Sundar Pichai (Alphabet CEO) took in recent years to lobby senior government officials," and evaluated, "OpenAI is following big tech's tactics."
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