Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Warns We Need To Regulate AI Research To Avoid It Being Abused

Microsoft is one of many tech companies on the global playing field currently researching artificial intelligence, and its CEO Satya Nadella recognizes how fraught with pitfalls it is.

That's why he's now calling for responsible research to avoid dooming society.

"We've seen how AI can be applied for good, but we must also guard against its unintended consequences," he said in a blog post on the issue. "Now is the time to examine how we build AI responsibly and avoid a race to the bottom. This requires both the private and public sectors to take action."

One aspect of AI in particular he writes about is facial recognition, a technology that's seeing increasing use in the industry right now. Particularly, without any regulation, he worries governments around the world may use facial recognition as a way to monitor and discriminate against certain minorities.

"We've learned more and tested new ideas," he wrote. "Based on this work, we believe it's important to move beyond study and discussion. The time for action has arrived."

Nadella calls for governments across the world to come together and stipulate worldwide guidelines for AI research and implementation. After all, we've already seen how regimes like China regularly abuse technology to suppress religious minorities like its Muslim population. Not just lawmakers though, he says the key is for the private sector to genuinely weigh in on this discussion as well.

Also Read: China Is Rolling Out A Gait-Recognition AI That Can Identify People By The Way They Walk

"The only way to protect against this race to the bottom is to build a floor of responsibility that supports healthy market competition. And a solid floor requires that we ensure that this technology, and the organizations that develop and use it, are governed by the rule of law."

Aside from racial biases though, Nadella specifies that another problem inherent to facial recognition AI is that it can easily to intrude on a person's right to privacy, and to implement mass surveillance. To combat this, he calls for full transparency in applications of the technology, as well as frequent testing and comparisons by third parties, among other measures.

"We must ensure that the year 2024 doesn't look like a page from the novel 1984," he says.