In a significant move towards ensuring safe and responsible AI development, four prominent companies in the artificial intelligence domain have joined forces to create the Frontier Model Forum. The founding members include OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, Anthropic, Microsoft, and Google, which owns DeepMind based in the UK.
The primary objective of the Frontier Model Forum is to oversee the development of frontier AI models, referring to cutting-edge AI technology that surpasses the capabilities of existing models. The group aims to promote research in AI safety, set standards for evaluating models, encourage the responsible deployment of advanced AI, engage with policymakers and academics on trust and safety concerns, and explore positive applications of AI, such as combatting climate change and detecting cancer.
Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, emphasized the responsibility of AI companies to ensure the safety, security, and human control of their technology. He sees the initiative as a crucial step to unite the tech sector in advancing AI responsibly for the benefit of all humanity.
The Frontier Model Forum is open to organizations that develop frontier models, which are characterized as large-scale machine-learning models capable of performing a wide range of tasks beyond the capabilities of current advanced models.
This announcement coincides with growing efforts to regulate AI technology. Recently, tech companies, including the founding members of the Frontier Model Forum, committed to new AI safeguards after a meeting with President Joe Biden. These commitments included watermarking AI content to identify misleading material like Deepfakes and allowing independent experts to test AI models.
However, there have been concerns and skepticism about the effectiveness of self-regulation within the tech industry. Some experts worry about “regulatory capture,” where companies’ interests dominate the regulatory process. They call for independent oversight that represents the interests of people, economies, and societies impacted by AI’s potential consequences.
While the forum acknowledges the contributions of various bodies, including the UK government and the EU, in AI safety and regulation, some experts believe that governments have ceded leadership in AI to the private sector. They stress the need for independent oversight to ensure AI’s immense power is used for the greater good while minimizing potential risks and negative impacts on society.
