CSET’s Helen Toner and Zachary Arnold shared their expert analysis in an op-ed published by Lawfare. They discuss the growing concerns and divisions within the AI community regarding the risks posed by artificial intelligence. They highlight two primary camps: the “AI doomers,” who focus on existential threats from AI, and the “ethicists,” who emphasize immediate issues like unfair labor practices and AI surveillance.
They write, “As many doomers and ethicists focus fire on each other, Big Tech companies and Silicon Valley investors are gearing up to oppose practical controls on AI, however motivated. Warning that safety regulation will stifle innovation and cede leadership to China, they downplay the present harms AI is causing as well as more speculative concerns.”
Throughout the piece, Toner and Arnold lay out basic common-sense policies that people with a wide range of views on AI could get behind: building government capacity, better measurement, independent auditing, disclosure, incident tracking, and liability.
To read the full op-ed, visit Lawfare.