Congress has placed strict limitations on the use of ChatGPT by setting narrow conditions for staff to use the groundbreaking AI tool.
Staff can only use the paid ChatGPT Plus subscription since it has additional privacy controls. Even with the $20 per month paid service, they are only allowed to use the tool for “research and evaluation” purposes and not as part of their everyday work or regular workflow, according to an internal memo circulated in the House of Representatives on Monday.
This is the latest move by the House as they rush to grapple with the huge potential and vast implications of generative AI. The nascent technology continues to sweep through both our personal and professional lives amid questions and growing concerns over how it can — and should — be used.
Effective AI Legislation to Protect Users and Promote Innovation
The fresh guidelines come hot on the heels of lawmakers in both chambers rushing to draft legislation on the regulation of the budding technology. Indeed, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer together with a bipartisan group of senators has called on Congress to quickly pass new legislation to regulate the use of ChatGPT and other generative AI models.
“AI could be our most spectacular innovation yet, a force that could ignite a new era of technological advancement, scientific discovery, and industrial might.” — Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader.
Schumer highlighted the often-delicate balance between effective regulation and promoting innovation, adding that: “The first issue we must tackle is encouraging, not stifling, innovation. But if people don’t think innovation can be done safely, that will stifle AI’s development and even prevent us from moving forward.”
A wide-reaching regulatory package that includes guidelines on AI disclosure, enforcement, and how to distinguish from other AI types, is likely to roll out in the coming weeks. Some of the key questions legislators are exploring include:
- How should generative AI tools provide disclaimers to users?
- How can generative AI be distinguished from other forms of AI?
- How will content created by both AI and a person be treated?
Of course, not everyone agrees on current proposals and lawmakers are introducing standalone bills they hope will be incorporated into the final legislation.
How to Fit Generative AI into Your Workflows
Like other workplaces, Congress is attempting to figure out how to fit the rapidly growing world of generative AI into its workflows. At the same time, it’s grappling with the bigger picture questions about the technology, its underlying parent companies, and how it will impact our lives going forward.
Similarly, several tech giants including Apple and Samsung have already limited the use of ChatGPT and other generative tools in the workplace over concerns of possible confidentiality breaches as the tools reincorporate user input data into their LLMs. This also comes as questions over plagiarism involving generative AI, especially in educational institutions, heat up.
