Whatever AI Safety Is, It’s Not This
The article critiques the current approach to AI safety, comparing the tech industry's self-regulation to the automotive industry's historical resistance to seatbelt mandates. It argues that voluntary accords between AI labs and the government are insufficient compared to enforceable federal standards.
Why it matters
The piece addresses the growing debate over whether AI development should be self-regulated by corporations or governed by strict federal oversight.
Here’s a fun history lesson for you. Don’t worry, we’ll make it quick! In 1966, nearly 51,000 people died on US highways. The overwhelming evidence suggested that many lives could have been saved with modern seat belts, which by then had been around for several years. The automotive industry responded by rallying together, and, in a triumph of self-regulation, voluntarily put the safety feature in every new vehicle that rolled off the line.
Kidding! Of course they didn’t do that. In the fall of 1966, Congress established the Department of Transportation and then passed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act as well as the Highway Safety Act, giving the federal government sweeping new authority to set safety standards. By 1968, seat belts were required in every new car. Despite a massive increase in highway traffic in the last 60 years, far fewer fatalities happen on the road today.
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