Debating AI governance best practices and global regulation

During the IAPP Global Privacy Summit 2023 (GPS23), practitioners, privacy advocates and regulators debated the technological advantages, privacy risks and governance best practices for artificial intelligence (AI), along with possible regulatory developments. 

While the EU Artificial Intelligence Act is moving closer, the US regulatory landscape is less straightforward. The US is aiming to shape the development of machine learning systems through a series of frameworks, such as the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, in which the focus shifts to how AI developers build compliant systems through responsible institutional governance.

During a separate keynote address, US Federal Trade Commissioner (FTC) Alvaro Bedoya stated he believes AI is already regulated. "The idea that AI is unregulated helps that small subset of companies who are uninterested in compliance," Bedoya said. "We've heard these lines before: 'We're not a taxi company, we're a tech company. We're not a hotel company, we're a tech company.'" In a related article, the FTC, the US Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a joint statement regarding their commitments to three core AI principles: Fairness, equality, and justice. FTC Chair Lina Khan added there are no AI exemptions, and the FTC "won't hesitate to use the full scope of our legal authorities to protect Americans."

The overwhelming consensus at GPS23 is that the privacy and technology industry experts are still getting to grips with AI. The rapid advancements of AI have created a situation where industry practitioners have to take on the responsibility of ensuring the rights of data subjects are upheld.