[Inside Chodong] The Hidden Side of the "$500 Billion Net Worth" AI Big Tech Gathering

"$500 billion (662.35 trillion KRW)."

This is the combined net worth of Big Tech companies that visited the U.S. Congress on the 13th to attend the 'Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insight' forum hosted by Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader of the U.S. Democratic Party. Not only business leaders with generative AI technology leadership such as Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Satya Nadella, CEO of Google, but also prominent representatives of American Big Tech including Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, all gathered.

The reason these leaders dominating the global IT market gathered on the same day was to prepare 'AI regulations.' In particular, this event was not just a simple discussion. Although it was a closed forum, 60 senators attended as observers, and representatives from labor, civic, and social organizations also participated alongside Big Tech. Majority Leader Schumer confirmed the government's role in AI technology development with 24 of the forum attendees. It was almost like a legislative pre-hearing process. The day before, the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee saw Senators Richard Blumenthal (Democrat from Connecticut) and Josh Hawley (Republican from Missouri) announce a framework embodying the philosophy of AI regulation.

Big Tech representatives unanimously emphasized the necessity of AI regulation by the U.S. government. However, looking deeper, a different meaning can be read. If Big Tech stressed the 'necessity of AI regulation,' it could be interpreted as caution against AI risks and a voluntary regulatory movement by Big Tech heroes for humanity. But if the emphasis is on 'the U.S. government must regulate,' it can be seen as stressing that the AI era should be reorganized with the U.S. at the center.

In my view, the emphasis of this consensus leans more toward the latter. Evidence can be found in recent Big Tech actions. This year, Big Tech companies have been cutting or eliminating their AI ethics teams one after another while focusing all efforts on AI technology development. If Big Tech is demanding U.S. government regulation and is willing to actively respond, wouldn't they rather increase their AI ethics teams? Recently, Axios reported that a survey of 213 AI experts from 65 U.S. universities found that 37% answered that a U.S. federal AI agency is necessary, while only 22% said an international AI organization is needed. Senator Hawley, who announced the AI regulation framework, criticized the forum as a "giant cocktail party for big tech companies," saying, "I don't know why we are inviting the world's biggest monopolies to help them make more money and provide Congress with information on how to close public disclosure," which resonates with some.

Ultimately, the meeting of Big Tech CEOs on this day can be interpreted as a move to secure the next generation of revenue. It is a so-called 'self-serving' use of politics. Our attitude toward them must change. We must not forget that the establishment of U.S. AI hegemony reads as AI dependency for other countries. Haven't we already experienced Big Tech's domination in the internet era? Soon, South Korea is expected to introduce a 'Digital Bill of Rights' containing basic AI principles. We hope this will also include measures to establish sovereignty over AI regulation.