AI leaders โคClash Over Regulation and impact at WIRED’s โขAIโ Power Summit
NEW YORK – A diverse group โofโข leaders fromโ technology, politics, and media convened at WIRED’s โฃAI Powerโ Summit in New York City on Monday to grapple with the rapidly evolving landscape โขof artificial intelligence andโ its sweeping impact across multiple sectors. Discussions revealed starkly contrasting viewpoints on the need for regulation,โฃ the potential forโ economic benefit, and the risks facingโข industries like journalism.
The summit, featuring speakers โฃincluding US Senatorโฃ Richardโ Blumenthal, โformer Trump governance officials, and Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer ofโ Condรฉ โnast, underscored the widespread disruption – and anxiety โค-โข AI is generating. Wintour, also Global Editorial โขdirector of Vogue, acknowledged the โdual nature of the technology, stating, โข”We worry about it replacing our work, and the work of those we write about.”
senator Blumenthal (D-CT) urged proactive policymaking, drawing parallels to the โchallengesโฃ posedโ by social media. He emphasized the need to establish “guardrails around copyright infringement and other key issues”โ before โฃAI inflicts important damage, specifically citing concerns aboutโข the impact on journalism. He described theโค current situation asโ a “perfectโ stormโ engulfing journalism” during a conversation with WIRED Global Editorial Director Katie drummond.
However, perspectives diverged on the appropriate regulatory approach. Dean โขBall, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Americanโ Innovation and a key architect of the Trump administration’s AIโข Action Plan, vigorously defended the plan as a pioneering effort โฃin AI risk management. He asserted that the blueprint introduced “more rules around AI โrisks than any other government โขhas โproduced.”โค
Industry representatives offered a moreโข optimistic outlook, predicting AI will driveโค considerable economic growth and dismissing concerns about unchecked deployment. Theโ summit highlightedโ a fundamentalโฃ tension between โขthose advocating for preemptive regulation and those emphasizing the potential benefits ofโ innovation.
Aโ livestream of the โคfull event โis available here.