Coming soon: New York City’s hearing on AI risks
We recorded 12 claims from this post. 3 were checked against evidence. 9 can’t be checked. 3 more are held. Read the post at its source.
Claims from this post (12)
In the order they appear in the post. Each quotation is the speaker’s words in this post. A label such as “Supported” or “Can’t be checked” is the claim’s current assessment; its page has the evidence and the reasons.
Assessment: UnresolvedSaid
Causal claim
“Already, the advent of general purpose agents with broad internet access has led to tens of thousands of hacking incidents”
Our reading: General purpose agents with broad internet access have already caused tens of thousands of hacking incidents.
No horizon Evidence as of
Limitation: The aggregate is available through secondary reporting and does not separate distinct hacking attempts from simulated tests and other behavior [e1].
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Forecast
“I rather doubt that human extinction is imminent, despite all the headlines”
Our reading: Human extinction from AI is unlikely to be imminent.
No horizon
Assessment: SupportedSaid
Observation
“Chatbots have been implicated in a number of suicides, and even mass murder.”
Our reading: Chatbots have been implicated in a number of suicides and even in mass murder.
No horizon Evidence as of
Limitation: The allegations are not findings of causation or liability.
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Observation
“Contemporary AI is like a bull in a china shop, powerful and impressive, but difficult to control.”
Our reading: Contemporary AI is powerful and impressive but difficult to control.
No horizon
Assessment: ContradictedSaid
Observation
“It is also clear that the current administration in DC— deeply tied to the big tech companies — is unwilling to do anything about it.”
Our reading: The current US administration, closely tied to big tech, is unwilling to do anything about AI risks.
No horizon Evidence as of
Limitation: The outcome depends on reading 'anything' broadly and examining the administration's term-wide record.
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Recommendation or value judgment
“AI developers should be obligated to demonstrate that the benefits for their new products outweigh the risks — and not have market access otherwise.”
Our reading: AI developers should have to show their new products' benefits outweigh their risks, and should be denied market access if they cannot.
No horizon
Qualifier: no market access otherwise
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Recommendation or value judgment
“What we need, above all else, is an FDA-like regulatory regime for AI, in which AI developers bring their software to independent review, much as drug manufacturers bring their new drugs to the FDA for a review.”
Our reading: The top priority should be an FDA-like regulatory regime in which AI developers submit their software for independent review.
No horizon
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Conditional forecast
“It would protect New York’s Citizens from some of the harms from AI, and could allow New York to be a global leader, much as California has been a global leader around clean energy standards.”
Our reading: If passed, NYC's third-party validation bill would protect New Yorkers from some AI harms and could make New York a global leader on AI regulation.
No horizon
Only if: if the third party validation bill is passed
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Recommendation or value judgment
“In the strongest possible terms, I urge council to support this bill.”
Our reading: The NYC City Council should support the bill on third-party validation of AI.
No horizon
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Rhetoric
“Without strong protections from whistleblowing, like New York City is considering, we are all in trouble.”
Our reading: Without strong whistleblower protections like those New York City is considering, we are all in trouble.
No horizon
Qualifier: without strong protections for whistleblowers like those New York City is considering
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Observation
“Finally, events of recent days suggest OpenAI may have fired employees who were whistleblowing.”
Our reading: Recent events suggest OpenAI may have fired employees who were whistleblowing.
No horizon
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Conditional forecast
“In sum by protecting whistleblowers, and demanding independent validation of new AI models, New York City can help lead the way to a positive, rather than negative, AI future.”
Our reading: If NYC protects whistleblowers and demands independent validation of new AI models, it can help lead toward a positive AI future.
No horizon
Only if: protecting whistleblowers
Held from this post (3)
These records did not pass every check, so nothing about them is published. Held is not a finding.
- The criteria are ambiguous. Our reading, not assessed: Since May 2023 the US Senate has done nothing to set up independent regulatory review for AI.
- The two reviews read the claim differently
- The two reviews read the claim differently