Of course governments are getting involved with AI. It’s inevitable.
Back when I first began playing games, in the arcades, at home, late 70s and early 80s, and there was some sort of computer AI opponent, I didn’t think about anything in this article. And yet those were inarguably the first days of AI intersecting with my life in any meaningful way. Nobody really questioned these things back then, it wasn’t something even remotely controversial — except in science fiction stories where robots running amok was all the rage.
And now, today, in this early government control, one entity at least is categorizing AI in videogames as “minimal risk.” So, games and gaming aren’t really that big of an AI deal — still — all these years later.
The entertainment world with movies like Wargames has explored how a game, so simple and innocent might pose a much more significant risk in the real world. Sure, that’s just Hollywood escapism. It’s not something that could happen. Joshua, WOPR isn’t going to take over the real world and start a global thermonuclear war.
Have been pondering a curious question, “why AI?” and some readers might be curious as well. I mean, AI seems to be everywhere in 2024. It’s in the news, it’s a major tech focus point, just about everybody in the tech space especially is racing to understand, adapt, use, control, create and, most onerously, make money using AI.
Let’s try to tackle the “control” part in this article.
From a government standpoint. It’s something we haven’t discussed in much depth here at PGM. Isaac Asimov in his fictional world of robots created the Three Laws of Robotics, and then crafted many stories in/around how humans and robots would have conflict related to these Laws. If you are a science fiction fan, then you’ve almost certainly read some, maybe all, of Asimov’s excellent robot fiction.
The strange and sobering world of fiction is when it crosses over into reality. And when I was younger and read these stories with wonder, I didn’t really think of a time in the real world that these Laws might apply to the real world. Sure, maybe in the way in our youth that we fantasize of things. That’s what great fiction does: it makes you think: “what if?”
So the EU on August 1, 2024, if you haven’t heard enacted an official AI Act. For real. It’s among, if not, the very first in the world significant governmental law that applies to artificial intelligence.
“The AI Act aims to ensure AI systems are ethical, transparent, and respectful of fundamental rights, addressing potential risks while balancing innovation and public safety. For U.S. businesses, this means adhering to clear guidelines and standards when dealing with E.U. companies or operating within the E.U., ensuring your AI practices align with these new regulations.” via Your Guide to Understanding the E.U.’s AI Act | Inc.com
We hear about ethical AI usage, and this is what this law is targeted at enforcing. And yet how does this impact gaming? It always has to do with gaming, because at an early stage, games, most solo played games actually need some sort of AI. The games that typically don’t require any sort of AI are games you play against other human beings. But even in some of those games, the enemy actors in those games, what are they? AI.
Yeah, perhaps a very rudimentary form of AI, but that’s what they are. AI in videogames, PC, arcade, it’s been there a long time.
What do you think of government control with AI? With laws being created in/around AI? Do we need AI laws? USA doesn’t have any laws on this — yet — but be certain the water is boiling.