THERE, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON FOR THE WEEK AND INSTEAD TALK ABOUT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
ZACH WILLIAMS FROM BLOOMBERG LAW HAS BEEN COVERING THAT IN NEW YORK.
ZACH, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
OF COURSE.
SO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS SOMETHING THAT REALLY HAS BEEN BLOWING ONE THINGS WE HEAR ABOUT CHATGPT AND WE HEAR ABOUT STUFF IN CARS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
HOW IS AI USED IN OUR REAL LIVES RIGHT NOW?
WELL, I THINK PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED HOW MUCH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE HAS BEEN AROUND FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
YEAH.
YOU KNOW, FROM THE SUGGESTED MOVIES AND TV SHOWS ON NETFLIX THAT YOU SEE TO SPELLCHECK ON YOUR COMPUTER TO THE AUTOMATED SCREENING TOOLS THAT EMPLOYERS USE WHEN THEY LOOK AT YOUR RESUME.
THAT LAST ONE MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALLY THINK ABOUT BUT MOST EMPLOYERS FOR YEARS NOW HAVE JUST LOOKED FOR CERTAIN KEY WORDS IN YOUR RESUME OR YOUR COVER LETTER AND IF THOSE KIND OF MEET THEIR ALGORITHM, THEN YOU'RE THE PERSON THEY AGREE TO MEET IN PERSON.
SO THERE'S ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
YOU KNOW, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS REALLY THIS RANGE OF TOOLS, THESE AUTOMATION MACHINE LEARNING IS SOMETHING YOU HEAR A LOT ABOUT, BUT REALLY, IT'S JUST A WHOLE BUNCH OF MATH KIND OF FIGURING OUT PATTERNS AND WHAT MIGHT FIT IT AND WHAT PEOPLE WANT TO USE.
SOMETHING LIKE THIS CONTINUES TO KIND OF GROW AND EMERGE AND PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WHERE THEY MIGHT BE SEEING IT AND INTERACTING WITH THEM.
WE OFTEN GET INTO A CONVERSATION ABOUT REGULATION.
IN NEW YORK, I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE ON AI REGULATION, BUT LET'S KIND OF ZOOM OUT FOR A SECOND BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'VE GONE TO CONFERENCES IN THE PAST COUPLE MONTHS AND TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE ABOUT THIS.
.
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE AROUND THE COUNTRY?
HOW ARE OTHER STATES THINKING ABOUT AI?
WELL, IT'S BEEN A LITTLE PIECEMEAL.
THERE'S A LOT OF POLITICAL GRIDLOCK IN D.C NOT A LOT HAS GOTTEN DONE IN CONGRESS.
QUITE A FEW STATES HAVE SET UP COMMISSIONS OR TASK FORCES, YOU KNOW TO REALLY LOOK AT HOW AI OR AUTOMATED SYSTEMS ARE ALREADY USED IN THEIR STATES, CREATE SOME SORT OF REPORTING MECHANISM AND SOME HAVE EVEN GONE SO FAR-- LIKE VERMONT HAS ACTUALLY ESTABLISHED A STATE DIVISION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
OH, WOW.
WHICH IS REALLY JUST A COUPLE PEOPLE IN AN OFFICE TASKED WITH THE IDEA OF REALLY THINKING AHEAD WHAT MIGHT BE GOOD USES OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND WHERE MIGHT THEY WANT TO PAUSE AND THINK ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES BEFORE IMPLEMENTING THEM.
SO WHAT ABOUT NEW YORK?
I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, I HAVEN'T HEARD A LOT ABOUT AI IN THE LEGISLATURE AS THEY'VE BEEN PASSING LEGISLATION.
I KNOW YOU ASKED THE GOVERNOR ABOUT IT IN AUGUST, AND SHE HAD A RESPONSE KIND OF SAYING THAT SHE WANTS TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT, BUT CAN YOU ACTUALLY JUST EXPAND ON WHAT SHE SAID?
HOW IS THE STATE LOOKING AT THIS RIGHT NOW?
WELL, RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE KIND OF LOOKING AT HOW THEY SHOULD LOOK AT IT.
[LAUGHTER]  THEY'RE PLANNING TO PLAN.
EXACTLY.
THERE WAS LEGISLATION PASSED BY THE SENATE AND THE ASSEMBLY THIS YEAR THAT WOULD SET UP A STATE COMMISSION.
THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW HAVE, LOTS OF SMART PEOPLE.
THEY WOULD WRITE A REPORT.
THEY WOULD RECOMMEND HOW TO MAYBE DEAL WITH AI.
THE GOVERNOR SUGGESTED THAT SHE MIGHT GO HER OWN WAY.
GOVERNORS DON'T LIKE THESE STUDY BILLS AFTER ALL AND SET UP SOME SORT OF A SUMMIT, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LONG TERM, WILL THEY TAKE OUR JOBS, TERMINATOR KIND OF CLASS OF PROBLEMS WITH AI POTENTIALLY, BUT THERE'S ALSO MUCH MORE IMMEDIATE THINGS.
WE'VE GOT THE ELECTIONS IN 2024, LEGISLATION THAT PASSED THIS YEAR THAT HOCHUL COULD SIGN WOULD BE A DEEP FAKE REVENGE PORNOGRAPHY.
THAT'S WHERE PEOPLE TAKE THESE GENERATIVE AI, LIKE CHATGPT OR DOLLY FOR IMAGES AND MAYBE TAKE SOMEONE'S PHOTO AND PUT IT ON A PORNOGRAPHIC IMAGE AND THAT'S NOT TECHNICALLY ILLEGAL RIGHT NOW.
REVENGE PORNOGRAPHY, WHICH IS SOME-- AN INTIMATE IMAGE THAT MAYBE YOU TOOK WITH SOMEONE'S PERMISSION OR WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION AND DISSEMINATE, THAT'S ILLEGAL IN NEW YORK BUT NOT IF YOU FAKE IT.
SO THAT COULD END PRETTY SOON AND I THINK THAT'S LIKE KIND OF REALLY THE FIRST INSTANCE WHERE WE'LL SEE KIND OF LIKE COMPUTER-GENERATED FAKES BECOMING ILLEGAL.
NOW WITH THE ELECTIONS COMING UP THIS COULD BE A HUGE ISSUE.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING F THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT WITH, YOU KNOW, FAKE REVENGE PORN, WHAT'S TO STOP SOMEBODY FROM DOING AN AI-GENERATED VIDEO OF A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SAYING SOMETHING CRAZY TO CONVINCE THE PUBLIC THAT THEY SHOULDN'T VOTE FOR THEM, SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
I MEAN, ALL OF THIS IS UNREGULATED.
YEAH.
IT WOULD REALLY DEPEND.
THERE ARE CURRENT LAWS.
NOW SAY, LORD FORBID, SOMEBODY DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD IMPERSONATE DAN CLARK AND SAY THINGS THAT DAN CLARK DIDN'T SAY, SAY VOTE FOR ME, DAN CLARK SAYS I'M GREAT ON "NEW YORK NOW."
NOW MAYBE THERE ARE ISSUES WITH DEFAMATION OR LIBEL AND YOUR LIKENESS IS DIFFERENT THAN YOUR COPYRIGHT, AND WE'VE ALREADY SEEN THIS WITH AUTHORS.
GO TO AMAZON AND YOU'LL FIND BOOKS THAT IS WRITTEN IN THE STYLE OF THIS PERSON OR THAT PERSON.
SOME AUTHORS HAVE TRIED TO SUE OR PROTEST AND SAY, HEY, I DIDN'T WRITE THIS.
BUT IT WASN'T LIKE THEY'RE CLAIMING YOU WROTE IT.
THEY'RE JUST SAYING IT'S IN THE STYLE OF JOHN GRISHAM OR IT'S, YOU KNOW-- BECAUSE THEY ASKED CHATGPT, PLEASE WRITE THIS LIKE DAN CLARK WOULD WRITE IT.
SO THERE'S ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT APPLICATION RIGHT NOW.
"NEW YORK NOW" NEEDS TO BE WHERE STATE LEGISLATURE SHOULD BE CONCERNED.
AI HAS THIS ABILITY TO REALLY SHAKE THINGS UP IN ALL SORTS OF INTERESTING WAYS.
KIND OF LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA TEN YEARS AGO.
I KNOW.
I COULD BE FAKE RIGHT NOW AND OUR AUDIENCE WOULD HAVE NO IDEA.
HE'S NOT.
I'M NOT FAKE.
YOU DON'T KNOW IF I'M TELLING THE TRUTH.
THAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH IT.
HOW COULD YOU EVER KNOW?
WHEN I'M THINKING ABOUT THIS, I'M THINKING ABOUT COMPANIES LIKE OPEN AI THAT DOES CHATGPT AND IF THE STATE STARTS TO INTRODUCE REGULATIONS AND STUFF, DO YOU SEE THIS BEING A BIG FIGHT?
WELL, WE'RE ALREADY SEEING COMPANIES KIND OF ON A CHARM OFFENSIVE OUT THERE.
AMAZON, MICROSOFT, GOOGLE HAVE ALL BEEN MEETING STATE LAWMAKERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND FEDERAL LAWMAKERS AND TRYING TO PUT A GOOD FACE ON AI, AND IT IS TRUE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF GREAT THINGS THAT THESE AUTOMATED SYSTEMS ARE CAPABLE OFF.
THEY'RE MUCH TOUTED SAY WITH MEDICINE AND SPOTTING THINGS LIKE CANCER AND STUFF BUT WE'VE ALSO SEEN IN THE HISTORY OF THEIR APPLICATION THAT THERE'S A LOT OF HYPE, LIKE WATSON WHICH BEAT A HUMAN IN JEOPARDY, YOU KNOW, THEY TRIED TO GET IT TO LOOK AT CANCER.
THESE TOOLS WHEN THEY'RE MADE FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE, THEY'RE REALLY GOOD AT IT AND WHEN THEY'RE MADE FOR A DIFFERENT PURPOSE, THEY CAN GO IN ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
I THINK WE WILL SEE A LOT OF PIECEMEAL LEGISLATION ON, SAY, ELECTIONS OR, YOU KNOW, WHEN I MENTIONED WITH DEEP FAKES, BUT A COMPREHENSIVE, YOU KNOW-- YOU KNOW WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THE ROBOTS TOTALLY CHANGING OUR WORLD SOLUTION, I THINK IS AT LEAST A FEW YEARS OFF.
A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKEN IT TO NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO SEE THIS AS AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL TO REALLY DEAL WITH IT IN A WAY THAT WILL SAVE HUMANITY FOREVER HOPEFULLY.
[LAUGHTER]  IT'S REALLY INTERESTING.
IT IS A BIG QUESTION AND WE'LL HAVE TO HAVE YOU BACK TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE AI SEEMS TO BE JUST KIND OF GETTING MORE INTO OUR LIVES SO WE'LL HAVE TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON IT.
ZACH WILLIAMS FROM BLOOMBERG LAW, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
WE'LL LINK TO SOME OF ZACH'S STORIES ON OUR WEBSITE.
THAT'S ALSO WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE NEWS FROM THE WEEK, STORIES FROM ACROSS THE STATE AND MORE.
ALL THAT IS AT NYNOW.ORG.