OpenAI has announced its support for a series of bipartisan proposals in the United States Congress that, according to the company, aim to prevent the acceleration of threats posed by biological weapons and synthetic viruses.
Details of the Proposed Bills
The company supports the Web of Biological Data Act, AI-Ready Bio-Data Standards Act, and Scale Biology Act. OpenAI has also emphasized a key provision of the FRONTIER Act that requires the safety evaluation of AI models by independent assessors.
Concerns About Advanced AI
Concerns regarding advanced AI are on the rise, and leaders of leading AI laboratories in the United States, including OpenAI, have called for a slowdown in the development of this technology. Last week, OpenAI announced that it emphasizes national AI safety requirements in the United States.
Separately, OpenAI is collaborating with its competitors, Anthropic and Google DeepMind, on AI safety. Reports indicate that Chris Lehnhoff, OpenAI's global policy head, has stated that the company has been in discussions with Anthropic and Google for the past few weeks and does not believe that the three companies need an antitrust exemption to coordinate on safety issues.
Lehnhoff said at a press conference in Washington, "It is better for us to work together and prioritize safety." He added that OpenAI will support any bipartisan legislation that helps reduce the catastrophic risks posed by AI.
OpenAI, Alphabet, and Anthropic did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and this information has not been independently verified.
