It feels like only last week we were hearing about ChatGPT for the first time. Suddenly, Silicon Valley giants are in a battle for survival to win AI dominance. The speed of technology today, I guess. And when it comes to the speed of legislating, California tends to move faster than the federal government (or other states, for that matter). So, it should come as no surprise that California state legislators have begun looking at AI and its role in both digital privacy matters and hiring practices, reports Bloomberg Law.

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• AI has "got the great ability to make decisions based on data that it has, but nobody knows what’s in that black box. We need to have our eyes wide open about the power of this, and make sure that it’s here to help people and not inadvertently injure consumers," State Senator Bill Dodd said regarding his bill (SB313), which would create a state agency to oversee AI.

• State Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan has introduced her own bill (AB331) that would regulate how the state's government uses AI.

• “There’s a focus on accountability; of those who are developing the algorithms …California is trying to find a path to merge accountability with employers and by focusing in on assessing the actual algorithm that you use,” Gary Friedman, a senior partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, told Bloomberg about the various bills.

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Snap Judgement

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Social media company Snap Inc announced this week that it will be integrating ChatGPT into its Snapchat platform. “The big idea is that in addition to talking to our friends and family every day, we’re going to talk to AI every day,” CEO Evan Spiegel told The Verge. “And this is something we’re well positioned to do as a messaging service.”

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However, the company also cautioned soon-to-be users that "All conversations with My AI will be stored and may be reviewed to improve the product experience. Please do not share any secrets with My AI and do not rely on it for advice," according to a press release. Snap further cautioned that "While My AI is designed to avoid biased, incorrect, harmful, or misleading information, mistakes may occur."

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The Verdict

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As AI becomes evermore integrated into our lives, its clear that strict regulation will need to stay on top of the technology and protect potential data leaks and other concerns. Are state politicians up to the task of properly designing legislation? Will see.

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