Physicist Lawmaker: Artificial General Intelligence Poses Security Threat to Public

Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill., said he is concerned over the potential security threats from artificial general intelligence, a theoretical form of artificial intelligence that could rival human abilities. 

In an interview with FedScoop, Foster, a particle physicist before his election to the House of Representatives in 2007, said that potential pitfalls associated with artificial general intelligence are already seen in “large language models behavior that looks like deceptive behavior.” He added that with AI evolving, its algorithms are engaged in a survival of the fittest, forcing some algorithms to adopt deceptive practices to achieve survival, FedScoop reported.

He shared that he is optimistic about Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., leading the bipartisan AI task force, as he has the technical know-how and capability to educate the House and lead the effort in regulating the technology. He also raised concerns about how lawmakers will fight back against private companies’ influence on AI regulation.

Congress has been working to address the benefits and risks associated with AI. In July 2023, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the federal government must act now to address the technology to enable safe AI innovation.