The AI Ad-Hoc Prior Restraint Era Begins

2023-08-29 · Source: Don't Worry About the Vase · Field: Technology & Digital — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Emerging Technologies & Innovation, AI Policy & Regulation · Depth: Intermediate, long

Summary

The White House is reportedly considering a significant shift in American Frontier AI policy towards a prior restraint regime, requiring permission before releasing highly capable new models. This follows an incident where the White House ordered Anthropic not to expand access to its Mythos model under Project Glasswing, despite Anthropic's desire to do so, including for European firms. Critics, like Neil Chilson, express concern over this informal, arbitrary government decision-making, which could favor insiders and hinder planning. The proposed new policy, potentially initiated via an executive order creating an "AI working group," aims to establish a government review process for frontier model releases. While a well-implemented, formalized prior restraint system for the largest models could be beneficial, there are fears of an ad-hoc, poorly designed implementation, leading to slowed diffusion of public benefits, accelerated elite capture, and reduced reliance on American AI models. Major AI developers, including Google, Microsoft, xAI, Anthropic, and OpenAI, already have pre-release screening agreements with CAISI, which could evolve into a more formal gatekeeping mechanism.

Key takeaway

For CTOs and VPs of Engineering evaluating future AI model deployments, you should anticipate increased government oversight and potential pre-release vetting. This shift could slow innovation and favor well-connected entities, making it crucial to engage with policy discussions and advocate for formalized, transparent regulatory frameworks to minimize arbitrary decision-making and ensure equitable access to frontier AI capabilities.

Key insights

The US is shifting towards a prior restraint regime for frontier AI models, raising concerns about arbitrary government control.

Principles

• Arbitrary government decisions favor insiders.
• Exponential growth demands early intervention.
• Multiple providers enhance system resilience.

Method

The proposed method involves an executive order establishing an "AI working group" of tech executives and government officials to examine potential procedures, including a government review process for frontier AI model releases.

In practice

• Implement formal, clear procedures for AI regulation.
• Diversify AI provider relationships for resilience.

Topics

• AI Prior Restraint
• Frontier AI Models
• Anthropic Mythos
• Project Glasswing
• CAISI

Best for: CTO, VP of Engineering/Data, Executive, Policy Maker, Legal Professional, Director of AI/ML

Related on AIssential

• AI #167: The Prior Restraint Era Begins — Government seeks prior restraint on AI model releases, while Anthropic's growth and compute deals highlight industry expansion.
• White House Considers Vetting A.I. Models Before They Are Released — Pre-release AI model vetting by the White House raises concerns about national security, market competitiveness, and potential political leverage.
• The White House Is Making Up Its Rules for AI in Real Time — US AI regulation operates in a "Wild West" era, with opaque, real-time enforcement creating uncertainty for frontier technology developers.
• The U.S. Government Is Gating GPT-5.6 Sol Access. — U.S. government regulation of frontier AI models transforms enterprise AI into a dual-use, cybersecurity-regulated asset.
• Spooked by Mythos, Trump suddenly realized AI safety testing might be good — Government AI oversight is shifting towards pre- and post-release safety evaluations, but faces challenges in defining standards and ensuring independence.
• We're frozen out (for good?) — Government actions are bifurcating AI access, creating restricted frontier models for strategic uses and general-purpose versions for broader civilian use.

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Don't Worry About the Vase.