Monsters in the Machine? Tackling the Challenge of Responsible AI

In November of 2022, the small tech company OpenAI released ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot which quickly captured the public’s imagination—becoming the world’s fastest-growing consumer application within months of its release. Though observers from across sectors were thrilled by the infinite potential uses of generative AI products like ChatGPT, the release also sparked an intense debate about the potential risks of AI, including job displacement, privacy violations, and the spread of misinformation. New companies like OpenAI, along with established giants in the rapidly emerging field such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta faced intense questions about how the new technology should be used and regulated. But just what does “responsible AI” entail and who gets to make that decision? And what players should be involved in shaping the rules that will ultimately govern this crucial generation of technology?