In a bold statement, former members of OpenAI's board, Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley, have called for external regulation to reign in the unchecked market forces associated with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) development. In an op-ed, they highlighted the insufficiency of self-governance and stressed the need for effective regulatory frameworks to address the potential positive and negative impacts of AI.

Toner, who joined the OpenAI board in 2018, and McCauley, who joined in 2021, initially had hopes that OpenAI's innovative approach to self-governance could foster responsible development. However, their experience led them to believe that self-governance is susceptible to profit incentives, which may compromise the broader public good.

The exponential potential of AI raises pressing questions about whether companies driving the technology revolution can be trusted to act in the interests of society alongside shareholders. Toner and McCauley argued that the assumption that profit incentives will always align with the public good is not sufficient, given the far-reaching consequences AI can have on humanity.

OpenAI, an organization initially established as a non-profit with a focus on ensuring that AI would benefit "all of humanity," created a for-profit subsidiary to garner necessary capital. This unique structure aimed to protect the company's original mission, with the non-profit entity maintaining control. While unprecedented, this approach ultimately fell short.

The former board members pointed out that if any company could have successfully self-governed while ethically developing advanced AI systems, it would have been OpenAI. Yet the structure, though commendable in intention, did not prove effective in practice.

To address this crucial issue, Toner and McCauley emphasized the urgent need for governments to step in and establish regulatory frameworks that can effectively manage the development of AI. They argued that responsible AI development requires external oversight to ensure that the interests of society are prioritized.

The call for external regulation comes at a critical time when AI is advancing at an unprecedented pace, raising concerns about ethics, safety, and equitable access to its benefits. The potential positive impact of AI is substantial, but the negative consequences can be equally significant if not properly managed.

The op-ed by Toner and McCauley serves as a wake-up call for the AI industry, urging stakeholders to recognize the limitations of self-governance and unite in supporting the implementation of external regulation. With the rapidly evolving landscape of AI, the responsible development and deployment of these technologies must remain at the forefront, ensuring that the benefits are truly realized by all of humanity.