Artificial intelligence (AI) has stirred up more controversy than most things in the past five years.
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intelligence → stir → years
Ever since the introduction of accessible generative AI in 2022, institutions, universities, students, scholars, activists, cognitive specialists, public policymakers and members of the public have all been divided over the ethics of its use.
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institutions → divide → use
As of the beginning of this month, even the founders of AI companies have taken the same stance.
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founders → take → stance
Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, released an essay calling on AI companies to slow the development of their most advanced models, as the safeguards currently in place are unable to keep up.
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safeguards → release → place
Shortly after Amodei’s essay, his position was endorsed by Sam Altman of OpenAI, Elon Musk of xAI, Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind, and Satya Nadella of Microsoft.
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position → endorse → Microsoft
In addition, Sam Altman said that OpenAI will not be going public in 2026, as further safety advances are still required.
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advances → say → 2026
While on the surface this may seem like a development in the collective conscience, the problem is far more multifaceted and layered – leaving the industry and the intended audience divided.
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problem → seem → industry
Take a look at the products that each AI giant sells.
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giant → take → that
Amodei, Altman, Musk and Hassabis sell models, while Nadella sells the cloud those models run on.
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models → sell → cloud
Both groups have advised slowing down.
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groups → advise → ?
On the other hand, Jensen Huang, founder, president, and CEO of Nvidia, sells the chips that these companies buy before they can build anything.
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they → sell → anything
Huang does not advise a slowdown and has instead asserted that AI does not need new legislation because market forces can push companies towards safe innovation without the need for regulation.
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forces → advise → regulation
Mark Zuckerberg, whose company gives its models for free, warned that the proposal could expose companies to greater legal risks.
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proposal → give → risks
Some companies will benefit from a slowdown, while others will earn greater profits by moving faster.
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others → benefit → profits
Nvidia’s ability to charge high prices has benefitted from the intense competition between these AI companies, which fear falling behind their rivals.
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which → charge → rivals
If this competitive pressure decreases, companies may be less willing to pay a premium for Nvidia’s chips.
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companies → decrease → chips
Hence, Huang’s opposition to the proposal may reflect both genuine concerns and Nvidia’s commercial interests.
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opposition → reflect → concerns
The word the White House used
In the world of AI, antitrust law prevents these companies from holding private meetings to decide what they can and cannot do.
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they → use → what
This is intended to prevent them from coordinating the pace of development and engaging in unfair competition.
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This → intend → competition
However, some of these AI companies have now come forward arguing that they should be allowed to work outside antitrust law for the sake of technological safety.
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they → come → safety
Huang and David Sacks, the White House AI lead, have been critical of this request, as it could reduce competition and increase the influence of these AI companies over their rivals.
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it → reduce → rivals
Sacks also questioned the independence of nonprofit evaluators tasked with evaluating AI safety “independently”.
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Sacks → question → safety
In essence, he asks: how is it fair for one company to inspect another?
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company → ask → another
The clause that travels badly
Amodei’s proposal would deny China access to the most powerful AI chips and advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and prevent smuggling and remote access to computing capacity abroad.
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proposal → travel → capacity
China’s foreign ministry countered the proposal, saying that these warnings are a fearmongering tactic aimed at slowing down China’s technological advancement, echoing the Cold War.
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warnings → counter → War
Amodei did admit that China poses the toughest predicament for his plan.
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China → admit → plan
Despite its alleged advantages, the proposal gives American firms leverage over Chinese ones.
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proposal → allege → ones
A precedent, and why it does not fit
Supporters of AI coordination have compared it with the regulation of banks following the 2008 financial crisis.
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Supporters → fit → crisis
Basel III was introduced only after a major financial crisis had already occurred.
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crisis → introduce → ?
Attempts to regulate AI before harm occurs can represent a genuine effort to prevent future risks, rather than reflecting the commercial interests of AI companies.
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harm → regulate → companies
Banking regulations were imposed by external regulators, whereas the proposed AI regulations would involve competing companies coordinating with one another.
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regulations → impose → one
What the debate is actually about
Before this debate began, researchers had already issued warnings about the capabilities of AI models.
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researchers → begin → models
OpenAI slowed down the development of its leading systems after a security incident.
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OpenAI → slow → incident
Amodei and Altman have both claimed that Anthropic and OpenAI will aim to bring in independent evaluators – a practice not seen among “cartels”.
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Anthropic → claim → cartels
Both concerns can coexist: companies may genuinely fear the risks associated with AI while also pursuing their own commercial interests.
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companies → coexist → interests
The more relevant question remains whether the proposed solution adequately addresses the problem it is intended to solve.
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it → remain → problem
An agreement between five major American companies, to be overseen by evaluators they fund, would not apply to international competitors such as those in China and would require an exemption from existing competition law.
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they → oversee → law
This solution appears to reflect the structure and interests of the AI industry more closely than the nature of the risk it is intended to address.
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it → appear → risk
The seats nobody is sitting in
Much of the debate surrounding the pace and regulation of AI development has taken place without meaningful participation from other regions, including the Arab world.
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Much → sit → world
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) estimates that $31.6 trillion will be invested in AI infrastructure worldwide by 2050.
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trillion → estimate → 2050
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
