The state of California, which is home to Silicon Valley and home to technology companies, is preparing to regulate artificial intelligence legislation (Shutterstock)

The US state of California - the stronghold of Silicon Valley where many technology companies are based - is trying to impose restrictions on artificial intelligence, inspired by European regulations, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.

In mid-March, the European Parliament approved a law regulating artificial intelligence models and setting restrictions regarding transparency, intellectual property rights, and privacy protection.

“We're trying to learn from the Europeans and work with them to understand how to set rules for artificial intelligence,” says David Harris, a consultant with the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy project.

This organization seeks to protect elections from misuse of emerging technologies.

More than 30 bills were submitted to the California Parliament, according to Harris, who says that American and European officials consulted him on this issue.

The texts submitted to the California Parliament address several aspects of artificial intelligence.

One law proposes forcing technology companies to disclose the data they used to create artificial intelligence models.

Another proposal suggests banning election campaign ads that in some way use generative artificial intelligence, which allows the creation of content (text, image, audio) based on a simple request in a common language.

A number of representatives want to ensure that social media networks report any content, image, video or audio clip created using generative artificial intelligence.

A poll conducted in October by the University of Berkeley, which included voters in California, showed that 73% of them support laws to combat misleading information or deep fakes (deep fakes) and limit the use of artificial intelligence during election campaigns.

This issue is one of the few topics on which Republicans and Democrats agree.

One law proposes forcing technology companies to disclose the data they used to create artificial intelligence models (Shutterstock)

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David Harris sees concerns over "deepfakes" and fake texts generated by artificial intelligence as one of the most important issues.

Gayle Pellerin, a Democratic representative from a constituency that includes a section of Silicon Valley, supports a bill that would ban “deep fakes” related to political matters during the three months before the election.

“Bad faith actors using this technology are trying to cause chaos in the election,” she says.

NetChoice, a professional union that represents digital companies, warns against importing EU rules into California.

“They are adopting the European approach to dealing with artificial intelligence, which wants to ban this technology,” says Karl Szabo, legal director of the organization that campaigns for the adoption of laws providing limited penalties.

“Banning artificial intelligence will not stop anything,” the lawyer asserts, adding: “It is a bad idea, because bad-faith actors do not respect the laws.”

As for the legal director of software publisher Adobe, Dana Rao, he appears more moderate. It welcomes the separation adopted by the European Union between low-impact artificial intelligence, which includes “deepfakes” and fake texts, and “high-risk” artificial intelligence, used especially in critical infrastructure or law enforcement.

"The final version of the text suits us," says Dana Rao.

Adobe indicates that it has already begun conducting studies to evaluate the risks associated with new products based on artificial intelligence.

“Attention should be given to nuclear safety, cybersecurity and all times AI makes important human rights decisions,” Rao adds.

In collaboration with the Coalition for Content Proofability and Authenticity organization, whose members include Microsoft and Google, Adobe has developed a series of metadata that provides information about the creation of an image and its content.

California lawmakers are seeking to be at the forefront of regulating artificial intelligence, just like the state's companies seeking to develop this technology.

"People are watching what's happening in California," says Gayle Pellerin.

She adds: “It is a movement that concerns all of us. We need to stay one step ahead of those who want to cause chaos in the elections.”

Source: French