OpenAI Urges Global Guardrails on Autonomous AI Development

The United States should lead an international effort to develop global technical standards for frontier artificial intelligence, including recursive self-improvement (RSI), OpenAI said in a Monday (Sept. 21) article.

RSI could result in humans losing control over AI development if this fully autonomous development of AI outpaces humans’ ability to understand it, so it’s necessary to decide now whether and how to proceed with the technology, according to the article.

One essential element of OpenAI’s proposed initiative is a mechanism that facilitates complementary national and international frontier standards. The company suggested that existing AI safety institutes could be leveraged to facilitate standard setting through the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) and national industry bodies.

“As we have suggested, this approach can draw lessons from areas such as aviation and financial stability, where countries have developed common technical standards and trusted channels for cooperation without giving up national authority,” OpenAI said in the article.