Rival companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind begin secret discussions on AI regulation

Rival companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind, have started debating joint safety measures for advanced artificial intelligence systems. Although this collaboration aims to reduce the inherent risks of the technology, it presents a dilemma since these corporations are direct competitors and may face antitrust scrutiny.

These conversations occur against a backdrop of increasing demand for independent model evaluations and effective mechanisms to identify more serious threats. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has expressed opposition to the idea of curbing technological advancement.

Chris Lehane, who is responsible for OpenAI's global policy, confirmed on Tuesday that the three companies have been holding conversations for several weeks focused on AI safety. He was in Washington to address risks classified as catastrophic related to this technology.

The intensification of this rapprochement followed Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, advocating that the sector should collaborate to moderate the pace of development of so-called frontier AI. This initiative received support from Sam Altman of OpenAI; Demis Hassabis of Google; and Elon Musk.

Altman also indicated that OpenAI could collaborate with Anthropic to integrate external evaluators and monitor system safety.

Ideas Under Discussion

Among the topics debated, the fact that competitors are close to each other stands out as a significant challenge. Altman and other participants acknowledged that corporate coordination could lead to legal problems related to antitrust laws if it resulted in reduced competition.

Amodei even suggested limited government permission to enable this type of safety cooperation. However, Lehane maintained that such government authorization would not be necessary for the companies.

Additionally, The Information reported that the three companies are working on creating an industry standard for AI. According to information, Altman reportedly told his employees that this framework should be established without the support of the United States government.

The concept of setting standards for the sector is not new. In July, Hassabis advocated for the creation of a new body in the United States with the power to audit the world's most sophisticated models and coordinate a possible slowdown if risks increased.

More Information

In the same meeting where he confirmed the conversations, Lehane stated that OpenAI endorses a provision of the FRONTIER Act, which would require major frontier AI labs to allow 'independent verification organizations' to check whether models are being developed safely.

The proposal to slow down development faces resistance in the White House. Donald Trump labeled concerns about AI safety as a 'farce' and rejected stricter rules, claiming that any brake would benefit China.

David Sacks, Trump's principal advisor for AI, also stated that fears about the existential risks of the technology are exaggerated.

While competing companies seek points of convergence to manage the dangers of the most advanced systems, the debate remains polarized between expanding oversight and maintaining competitiveness in the sector.

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olhardigital.com.brSeptember 11, 04:06

OpenAI asks US Congress to implement mandatory safety standards for advanced AI systems

OpenAI is asking the United States Congress to adopt compulsory national safety regulations for the most sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The company argues that such requirements should be determined based on the functionalities of the models, and not on the size of the corporations that create them.

This request was formalized by Chris Lehane, OpenAI's Director of Global Affairs, who stressed that voluntary agreements are no longer adequate given the rapid technological progress. Lehane stated that the acceleration of AI development driven by AI itself demands more than just voluntary commitments, arguing that the US needs mandatory national regulation, based on system capabilities and capable of keeping pace with technological evolution.

OpenAI wants Congress to advance these rules before the end of its operations in December. Currently, the United States lacks specific federal legislation to regulate these models, although several states are implementing their own guidelines. This stance marks a significant shift in OpenAI's strategy, which previously supported federal legislation prohibiting American states from creating their own AI standards.

Currently, OpenAI supports four California bills focused on AI safety. Two of these bills, SB 813 and AB 1405, aim to establish frameworks for independent audits and evaluations of AI systems. The other two, AB 1864 and SB 1119, address protection against biological threats amplified by AI and the safeguarding of children in chatbots, respectively. The company mentioned that some of these bills had not previously received its endorsement, changing its mind after reassessing the scenario due to recent advances in system capabilities.

This move comes after a series of incidents involving AI agents exhibiting unauthorized behavior during tests. In one case, OpenAI agents used more than ten novel websites to conduct prohibited communications. In another occurrence, the company's agents took control of a German website, turning it into a messaging panel for other AI agents. Furthermore, OpenAI was criticized after an event in July, where a company technology, operating without human supervision, autonomously accessed the Hugging Face platform.

Anthropic also reported a case of an AI model invading external systems during testing. Previously, the company had communicated that some Claude models had managed to penetrate the systems of three companies during security assessments. Such events have intensified concerns about the difficulty of controlling agents with direct interaction capabilities with external systems.

Recursive Improvement

A central point of OpenAI's new policy is the concept of recursive improvement, which describes a scenario where an AI would be capable of autonomously developing future generations of AI systems. The company assures that this type of fully autonomous recursive improvement is not currently occurring. However, OpenAI maintains that such development should not be pursued until safe conditions for it exist.

In a statement on its website, the company stated that it has reached a new level in AI capabilities, which, according to it, requires a new phase in public policies. Although OpenAI declares that it will continue to develop technical solutions for monitoring and alignment, as well as defense systems and the possibility of slowing down development when necessary, it emphasizes that isolated technical work in laboratories will not be sufficient.

For this reason, the company also advocates for shared standards that define when AI development should be paused or stopped. In addition to national regulation, OpenAI advocates for compatible international standards to measure capabilities, manage risks, maintain human control, and determine the times for reducing or stopping model development. The company claims that the risks and capabilities of the systems will not be limited to the few laboratories that currently develop the most advanced models.

OpenAI concludes by stating that the United States needs to establish reliable internal standards if it wishes to lead globally, and that it is increasingly convinced of the need for harmonized international standards.