OpenAI, the company responsible for the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, has announced a new initiative aimed at incorporating more democratic input into the development of artificial intelligence. In a recent official announcement, OpenAI revealed its plan to award 10 grants of $100,000 each to teams from around the world. The grants will support the development of a “proof-of-concept” democratic process for establishing rules that govern the behavior of AI systems.
According to OpenAI, these rules should adhere to legal boundaries and be beneficial to humanity. The experiments conducted through this grant program will serve as the foundation for a broader and more ambitious project in the future. OpenAI emphasized that the outcomes of these experiments will not be binding but will instead explore crucial questions related to AI governance.
The grants are provided by OpenAI’s nonprofit arm, and the results of the projects will be freely accessible to the public. This initiative comes at a time when governments worldwide are working towards implementing regulations for general-purpose generative AI. OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, recently met with European regulators to emphasize the importance of non-restrictive regulations that encourage innovation. Altman also testified before the United States Congress with a similar message.
OpenAI advocates for tailored laws and guidelines that are specifically designed for AI technology. The company raises thought-provoking questions, such as how disputed views should be represented in AI outputs, and emphasizes that decisions of this nature should not be dictated by any single individual, company, or country.
