United States President Donald Trump has delivered a major blow to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s tech agenda by telling world leaders he would oppose a push to create an international body to oversee AI regulation. Source: The Australian.
The Trump administration also issued its blunt opposition to Labor’s proposed digital duty of care laws.
After Mr Albanese signed a statement with more than 20 world leaders calling for an international framework on AI safeguards, Mr Trump used his address to the UN General Assembly in New York this morning (AEST) to declare he “totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control for the artificial intelligence”.
Urging world leaders to join him in changing the name of artificial intelligence to super intelligence, Mr Trump said he would not stifle the technology that could change the world more than the industrial revolution or the internet.
“Whoever wins SI, whoever wins super intelligence, wins,” Mr Trump said.
“We’re leading now over China by a lot, and everyone else. And we’re going to keep it that way.
“I’m not going to stifle growth of something that … many say is bigger than the industrial revolution or the internet itself.
“We’re going to encourage it, not rein it in.”
Mr Albanese over the weekend urged Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to use their meeting in Washington on Thursday to discuss regulating AI, after industry leaders joined calls for a slowdown in the development of the technology due to safety concerns.
The Trump administration has flagged AI safeguards will be discussed but Mr Trump is not in favour of sweeping guardrails that could stifle the US’ comparative advantage in developing the technology.
Mr Trump’s speech came after the US embassy in Canberra released an extraordinary statement arguing Labor’s digital duty of care regime unveiled this month “potentially raises significant concerns regarding fair competition, market access, and trade treatment for American companies, independent media, and content creators”.
The proposal for an international body overseeing AI regulation won the backing from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“Governments must assume their responsibilities, and governments with the greatest AI capabilities have the greatest responsibilities to humanity,” Mr Guterres said in his speech to the UN General Assembly.
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Trump smashes Anthony Albanese’s tech agenda (By Greg Brown, The Australian)
