In a collaborative effort that brings together Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), Japan’s telecommunications giant, and Yomiuri Shimbun Group Holdings, the leading newspaper in the country, an alarming statement on the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential impact on society has been released. This AI manifesto, a product of their joint initiative, serves as a clarion call for urgent legislative action worldwide to address the burgeoning risks AI poses to democracy and social stability.
The manifesto does not mince words about the dire consequences of inaction, suggesting that without swift legislative intervention, AI technologies could fundamentally undermine democratic institutions and trigger societal upheaval on a global scale. It specifically casts a spotlight on AI developments by major U.S. technology firms, highlighting a grim prognosis:
In the worst-case scenario, democracy and social order could collapse, resulting in wars.
Such a stark warning underscores the manifesto’s concern over AI’s capacity to captivate and manipulate public attention, often sidestepping ethical considerations and factual accuracy. This technology, according to the report, is primed to exploit user engagement with little to no regard for moral or truthful discourse.
Under the guidance of experts from Keio University, the manifesto’s authors urge the Japanese government to take decisive steps. They advocate for the enactment of new legislation aimed at safeguarding electoral processes and national security against the encroachments of AI technology. This call to action emphasizes the critical need for regulatory frameworks that can preemptively address the challenges posed by AI, ensuring the integrity of democratic institutions and public safety.
Yomiuri readers know the paper is skeptical about AI. Now it has teamed up with NTT to call for AI legislation in Japan to protect elections and national security. https://t.co/QDVT2nAbyr
— Peter Landers (@LandersWSJ) April 8, 2024
The manifesto also revisits prior criticisms of AI applications that have sparked controversy, citing instances of bias and historical revisionism. Notably, it references the backlash against Google’s Gemini AI system, which faced scrutiny for allegedly exhibiting discrimination against white individuals and, in certain instances, purportedly rewriting historical narratives:
As we previously highlighted, programs such as Google’s Gemini AI system caused fury after they openly discriminated against white people and in some cases erased them from history altogether.
Moreover, the manifesto recounts another contentious episode involving OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The AI was reported to have generated responses that refused to engage in hypothetical scenarios involving racially sensitive content, even when posed with extreme, life-or-death hypotheticals:
OpenAI’s ChatGPT produced equally ludicrous content, in one case saying it would refuse to quietly utter a racial slur that no human could hear in order to save 1 billion white people from a “painful death.”
These examples serve to illustrate the complex ethical and social dilemmas AI technologies can present, further bolstering the manifesto’s argument for the urgent need for regulatory oversight. By bringing these issues to the forefront, NTT and Yomiuri Shimbun Group Holdings aim to initiate a critical dialogue on the role of AI in society and the imperative measures required to navigate its challenges responsibly.
