OpenAI CEO Sam Altman calls for urgent global AI regulation, proposing an IAEA-like body to coordinate efforts and mitigate risks like bioweapons.

NEW DELHI: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has called for urgent global regulation of artificial intelligence. He proposed the creation of an international body, similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to coordinate these efforts.

Altman made the remarks while speaking at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. He warned of significant risks, including the potential for open-source AI models to help create new pathogens.

“We need a society-wide approach about how we’re going to defend against this,” Altman said on stage. He stressed that democratisation of AI is the best way to ensure humanity flourishes.

The OpenAI chief argued that centralising the powerful technology in one company or country could lead to ruin. He acknowledged that regulation and safeguards are obviously and urgently needed, as they have been for other powerful technologies.

Altman suggested the world may need an IAEA-like entity for international AI coordination. Such a body would need the ability to rapidly respond to changing circumstances.

“The next few years will test global society as this technology continues to improve at a rapid pace,” he added. He stated that technology always disrupts jobs, but society always finds new and better things to do.

Altman also revealed that ChatGPT has 100 million weekly users in India. More than a third of these users are students.

Earlier on Thursday, OpenAI announced a partnership with Indian IT giant Tata Consultancy Services. The plan is to build data centre infrastructure in the South Asian country.

 The Sun Malaysia