OpenAI compares the invention of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to that of the automobile. They believe that America succeeded with cars, unlike Europe, and aim to replicate this with AI. According to OpenAI, developers advancing AI can boost the entire economy, benefiting everyone. Their blueprint, aimed at the government, suggests this as an opportunity for reindustrialization.
Cars were invented in Europe, a fact agreed upon by experts. However, OpenAI argues that Europe took a wrong turn by introducing speed limits and the Red Flag Act, which required someone to walk ahead of cars with a red flag to warn others. This law was specific to Britain.
In contrast, America combined private sector innovation with public interest to harness the technology and its economic benefits, even as World War I loomed. This approach made the USA the center of the global automobile industry, a perspective that the German car industry might dispute.
OpenAI’s conclusions might not be widely accepted. In the USA, unlike Europe, the government supported the transition from horse-drawn carriages to automobiles and invested in better roads at the federal level. Although President Joe Biden issued a decree, states can enact their laws, with over 700 existing laws. This relates to infrastructure and the energy needs of AI.
OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, opposes laws like the Chips Act, which aims to benefit US industries but, according to him, doesn’t achieve its goals. Biden’s “Export Control Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion” restricts chip designers from selling advanced GPUs to certain countries, including Germany, but not China.
Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s Vice-President of Global Affairs, warns that if the USA doesn’t win the AI race, China will, increasing its global influence. The blueprint emphasizes American innovation, with chips, data, energy, and talent as keys to victory.
The blueprint focuses on Large Language Models, suggesting minimal regulation, preferably uniform at the federal level. Although OpenAI claims AI will benefit all, the blueprint is specific to Large Language Models, excluding applications like early cancer detection.
The US government should ensure AI companies use secure infrastructure, such as classified computer clusters, to assess risks and safeguards. How this will be achieved remains unclear.
The government should facilitate agency access to AI services for streamlined operations, benefiting taxpayers. Donald Trump also plans to reduce government positions, suggesting the state pay OpenAI for software instead of human labor.
It is sensible to ban AI services that create content depicting child sexual abuse and to require watermarking. The blueprint also calls for training people and developing a national AI strategy for education.
This blueprint is a “living document,” meaning it can be updated and changed anytime.