A brief history of AI executives calling for regulation
This article traces the history of AI industry leaders calling for government regulation, noting that such warnings date back to the 19th century. It highlights how modern tech executives are now advocating for oversight of the very technologies they are profiting from.
Why it matters
The skepticism surrounding AI regulation by industry insiders is a critical debate in the governance of emerging technologies.
Over the past few days, a lot of people who stand to make a lot of money from AI all publicly agreed that it’s time to make everyone slow down before we lose control — including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Google DeepMind cofounder Demis Hassabis, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and X CEO Elon Musk.
When people who profit from something declare that it’s dangerous and needs to be regulated, there’s always reason to be skeptical. But whatever their reason, this is far from the first time AI thought leaders have sounded the alarm.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in