ICYMI: AFP in New York Post: Cracking Down on AI Companies Could Rob America of Economic Growth
ARLINGTON, VA—Over the weekend, Americans for Prosperity Senior Policy Analyst James Czerniawski published an opinion piece in the New York Post warning about the danger of the Federal Trade Commission’s aggressively hostile posture toward AI. Cracking down on AI companies, Czerniawski writes, could stifle innovation, halt economic growth, and risk the U.S.’s ability to solidify its status as a global AI leader
In the piece, Czerniawski responds to the FTC issuing a subpoena to Open AI last week as part of an investigation into potential consumer protection laws
“Thanks to Musk’s takeover of Twitter and TikTok’s potential for national security leaks, it’s become vogue to demonize Big Tech these days. But the FTC’s crusade has morphed far beyond mere law enforcement into an abuse of power designed to generate headlines and berate big tech wherever possible.”
Czerniawski goes on to claim the FTC’s actions undermine the institutions credibility and calls into question whether these moves “are really in the public’s best interest—or motivated by a partisan scheme to scapegoat tech giants.”
“The FTC’s concerns about the publishing of false information appear heavily influenced by President Biden — along with a handful in Congress — openly worried about AI’s ability to spread misinformation. But ChatGPT derives its intelligence from publicly available user-generated speech such as articles, e-books, and websites. And that’s a problem for the FTC; the agency regulates competition, but a speech regulator it is most certainly not.”
“In the case of AI, the FTC’s approach also risks sacrificing the nation’s ability to solidify its status as an AI leader. China longs to dominate the world in AI and its recently mandated that the technology be used to advance socialist values at odds with our way of life. Imagine if AI could only cite data from government-approved sources. That’s the vision for AI that the Chinese government wants to impose on the world. The Biden administration should think long and hard about whether hamstringing the US in this space is a smart idea.”
“The FTC’s aggressive posture against the tech industry is well-documented, but not well-thought-out. The agency’s anti-tech bias has been costly for taxpayers. Cracking down on companies like OpenAI threatens to rob America of significant economic growth, with AI forecast to double America’s productivity rate and boost global GDP by $7 trillion over the next decade. Agencies should enforce laws, but the FTC’s anti-tech vendetta requires a reset. “
Read the full piece here.
