Twenty state attorneys general have warned that President Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to censor information labeled as “disinformation.”
The 20 attorneys general, led by Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, said in a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo:
The Executive Order seeks — without Congressional authorization — to centralize governmental control over an emerging technology being developed by the private sector. In doing so, the Executive Order opens the door to using the federal government’s control over AI for political ends, such as censoring responses in the name of combatting ‘disinformation.’
The Biden executive order sets new standards for artificial intelligence safety; the Biden administration said that the move would help protect Americans from fraud enabled by AI.
However, the attorneys general said the move established a “gatekeeping function” for the Commerce Department to oversee AI development and force developers to go through an “opaque and undemocratic process.”
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“We are further concerned that the Executive Order’s bureaucratic and nebulous supervisory process will discourage AI development, further entrench large tech incumbents, and do little to protect citizens,” the attorneys general said.
A House Judiciary Committee report on Tuesday found that AI tools being developed by the Biden administration could be used to censor alleged disinformation on an industrial scale.
The Republican-led Judiciary Committee said the Biden administration is spending millions of dollars on AI tools to combat alleged misinformation, which could then be utilized by big tech companies.
Grants from the National Sciences Foundation are going to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Michigan for a program called “Trust & Authenticity in Communication Systems.”
Although the program could help remove child sex abuse material (CSAM) and deep fake photos, lawmakers such as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) believe these tools could be used by censor-happy platforms such as YouTube, Reddit, and Facebook to censor free speech.
Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen wrote last June how AI could be used to stifle free speech.
“Al is highly likely to be the control layer for everything in the world,” Andreessen wrote.
“You should be aware of how a small and isolated coterie of partisan social engineers are trying to determine that right now, under cover of the age-old claim that they are protecting you,” he added.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
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