▲ AI Companies
Amid rising discussions on slowing down the pace of artificial intelligence (AI) development, it has been revealed that OpenAI is already cooperating with Anthropic and Google.
Bloomberg reported on the 15th (local time) that Chris Lehane, Chief Global Affairs Officer (CGAO) of OpenAI, said during a briefing in Washington, D.C. that the company has been cooperating with its two competitors on AI safety responses for several weeks.
He emphasized, "It is desirable to work together with safety as our top priority."
He explained that the three companies judge that an antitrust exemption is not necessary to coordinate for AI safety.
Regarding the call for an antitrust exemption to facilitate safety cooperation among AI companies, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner Andrew Ferguson remarked on the same day that it is "very suspicious," characterizing such demands as an attempt to build a moat to block other competitors from entering the market.
However, CGAO Lehane cited the aviation industry as a precedent for such safety cooperation among competitors, noting, "There are many instances where companies have tried to help each other solve safety issues."
The intent is that measures to secure passenger or technological safety, separate from market competition, are not viewed as subject to antitrust regulations.
AFP reported on the same day that these three companies are pursuing the establishment of an AI standards organization through this cooperation.
This organization is modeled after the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which supervises financial companies in the United States, and its necessity had been advocated by Demis Hassabis, Chief Scientist at Google.
CGAO Lehane plans to meet with U.S. congressional officials in Washington, D.C. to support bipartisan legislation to address risks posed by AI technology.
Regarding the AI regulation bills currently being pursued in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, he said, "We will support whatever bill can be passed."
He specifically mentioned the federal AI governance framework legislation being pursued in the House by Representative Jay Obernolte (Republican-California) and Representative Lori Trahan (Democrat-Massachusetts), as well as the bill led by Senate Republican Leader John Thune (South Dakota) alongside Senators Ted Cruz (Republican-Texas) and Amy Klobuchar (Democrat-Minnesota).
However, Bloomberg predicted that the likelihood of passing AI regulation bills within the year is slim, noting that the House will not reconvene until the midterms in early November and that the session held after the election will focus heavily on increasing the defense budget.
Additionally, President Donald Trump has expressed strong opposition to AI regulatory measures, dismissing concerns related to AI safety as a "hoax."
After Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei advocated for the need to slow down for AI safety via a personal blog on the 12th, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX AI CEO Elon Musk echoed the sentiment, giving strong momentum to safety coordination discussions across the industry.
Meanwhile, Anthropic and Google DeepMind did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
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