The Hammurabi solution to AI
Former President Barack Obama is urging Democrats to make regulating artificial intelligence one of their “central agendas” in this year’s elections, but when it comes to what exactly he wants Democrats to do policy-wise, he appears to have no answers.
TL;DR
- Democrats and Republicans are grappling with how to regulate AI, lacking concrete policy proposals.
- The Code of Hammurabi, dating back to 1750 B.C. Babylon, offers a model of strict liability where builders were held responsible for structural failures.
- This ancient principle can be applied to AI by making developers strictly liable for harms caused by their autonomous systems.
- Strict liability shifts the burden of ensuring safety from regulators, who struggle to keep pace with AI development, to the creators of the technology.
- This approach incentivizes AI companies to invest in safety by making them liable for potential damages, preserving innovation while managing risks.
- Further considerations include extending liability to executives and engineers, balancing risk distribution with potential impacts on AI advancement.