Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, and OpenAI announced on Wednesday that they were launching the Frontier Model Forum. The new industry organization will ensure companies are engaged in the"safe and responsible" development of AI models.The forum is being created at the same time that lawmakers in the United States are considering whether they need to form a new federal agency to regulate AI technology or if they can rely on existing agencies.
"Companies creating A.I. technology have a responsibility to ensure that it is safe, secure, and remains under human control," Microsoft Vice Chairman and President Brad Smith said in a blog post."This initiative is a vital step to bring the tech sector together in advancing A.I. responsibly and tackling the challenges so that it benefits all of humanity."
The forum will focus on four aspects: advancing AI safety research to promote responsible development of new models, identifying best practices on how to do so, collaborating with academics and lawmakers to share information, and supporting efforts to develop apps that can help solve an assortment of real problems worldwide.
The forum was announced a day after the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law hosted a hearing on best practices for AI regulation. Anthropic faced questioning from Sen. Josh Hawley over Google's $300 million investment in the company.Microsoft has also invested more than $10 billion into OpenAI.
The tech industry is divided on the proper role for the federal government. ChatGPT developer OpenAI and Microsoft have called for establishing a new agency to oversee and enforce regulation and restrictions on AI. Google, meanwhile, has encouraged a"wheel and spoke" method, which would have an agency like the National Institute of Standards and Technology establish a framework to be used by federal departments across the board.