Understanding the Evolving Landscape of Generative AI: Insights from Seth Dobrin

Seth Dobrin, former global chief AI officer at IBM, sat down with AI Business to discuss the evolving landscape of generative AI and offer insights on key issues surrounding its deployment. Dobrin emphasized the importance of recognizing the true potential of generative AI beyond its conversational abilities and highlighted three fundamental issues that enterprises should prioritize when adopting this technology.

The adoption of generative AI has drastically changed since the introduction of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. What was once considered a niche concept has exploded into the mainstream, with people around the world interacting with conversational AI models. Furthermore, there has been a significant demand from business users, including CEOs, to incorporate generative AI into their operations. However, Dobrin emphasized the need to identify the specific business problems that generative AI can solve.

Dobrin also discussed the importance of safety and responsible deployments of AI technologies. While some companies, such as Microsoft, have faced criticism for rushing out AI products without adequate ethical considerations, Dobrin argued that it is now too late to slow down the development of these technologies. Instead, he focused on three key issues that enterprises should address.

Firstly, Dobrin stressed the importance of adopting generative AI in a way that aligns with internal policies, corporate ethos, and regulations, while also safeguarding intellectual property and personnel. He highlighted the example of Samsung employees using ChatGPT to ask questions about core IP, which resulted in costly consequences.

Secondly, Dobrin emphasized the need for regulatory compliance when using models trained on internet data. Enterprises must ensure that the data used aligns with regulatory standards and internal policies.

Finally, Dobrin discussed the contextual understanding of generative AI models. These models do not naturally grasp specific business contexts, which necessitates the ability to fine-tune models to suit organizational needs.

In terms of AI regulation, Dobrin acknowledged that regulators and even technology experts often struggle to keep up with the rapidly advancing field of AI. He proposed the establishment of AI regulatory agencies at the ministry or cabinet level to drive policies based on expert knowledge. Dobrin also commended the European Union’s approach of focusing on use cases, outcomes, and human impacts of AI.

While leaders in AI, such as Sam Altman of OpenAI and Sundar Pichai of Alphabet, are influential figures, Dobrin suggested that AI legislation should be guided primarily by AI regulatory agencies rather than elected officials. He emphasized the need to prioritize discussions and actions around AI regulation to ensure responsible and safe deployments.

Overall, Dobrin’s insights shed light on the evolving landscape of generative AI and emphasize the importance of understanding its true potential, addressing key issues during adoption, and implementing responsible practices and regulations.

Sources:
– AI Business: https://www.aibusiness.com/interviews/interview-seth-dobrin-generative-ai-lacks-diversity/