UK evaluates AI models as fast expansion raises safety concerns. Britain’s competition authority announced it would examine the effects of artificial intelligence on consumers, businesses, and the economy and if further limits were required on technology like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
While A.I. research has been going on for years, the recent success of generative A.I. apps like ChatGPT and Midjourney has highlighted a technology that might change business and society.
Governments worldwide are seeking to balance A.I.’s potential risks with innovation.
Instead of forming a new A.I. regulator, Britain divided A.I. regulation amongst human rights, health and safety, and competition organizations in March.
Last week, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) halted Microsoft’s $69 billion merger with Activision Blizzard and announced it would study foundation models that utilize vast quantities of unlabelled data.
CMA CEO Sarah Cardell said A.I. was rapidly advancing.
“It’s crucial that the potential benefits of this transformative technology are readily accessible to U.K. businesses and consumers while people remain protected from issues like false or misleading information,” she added.
British inquiries mirror those in Beijing, Brussels, and Washington.
Fladgate lawyer Alex Haffner said the CMA would probe under its broad powers and attempt to understand A.I. rather than take enforcement action against corporations.
“That said, viewed against a background in which the CMA is being given ever greater powers to investigate and hold Big Tech to account, this announcement only serves to reinforce the notion that CMA is determined to use those powers as broadly as it can,” he added.
Last month, digital ministers from the Group of Seven top countries agreed on “risk-based” A.I. regulation that would protect an open environment for development. The U.S. is considering regulations.
Italy, a G7 member, suspended ChatGPT last month to investigate a possible data breach. Italy removed the restriction, but European privacy officials investigated.
Linklaters lawyer Verity Egerton-Doyle said the review would let Britain’s competition authority weigh in.
“The E.U.’s Digital Markets Act that came fully into force this week does not cover generative A.I. and the CMA no doubt sees this as an opportunity to be leading the global debate on these issues – along with the U.S. FTC which is already looking at the area,” she added.
