Financial Times columnist urges elected officials to set AI rules

In short: A Financial Times opinion column says AI is slipping through legal gaps, and elected officials should set clear rules for it.

What's going on

Karen Kornbluh, a former US AI policy official, argues that many AI systems operate in an “accountability-free zone”. She says the rules we use for people and traditional businesses often do not fit AI, especially when an AI system acts like a “black box” (you can see the result, but not the reasoning that led to it).

Kornbluh points to cases where AI chatbots can give medical advice without facing the same checks as human doctors, such as licensing or malpractice rules. She also notes that governments can use error-prone AI to make decisions about public benefits, and people may not get a clear explanation or an easy way to appeal to a human.

The column compares today’s AI debate to older fights over responsibility. Social media firms used legal protections to avoid publisher-style duties, Uber argued it was a tech platform rather than a taxi company, and Airbnb pushed back on some hotel-style rules. Kornbluh says AI could widen this kind of “loophole” across society if new standards are not created.

What to watch

Kornbluh argues that new technology rules should be set by elected officials, not by whichever companies move fastest. She points to past examples like nuclear power and aviation, where governments created dedicated regulators and clear liability rules (who is responsible when something goes wrong). The next question is whether the US and other countries strengthen AI oversight, or whether political pressure and industry spending continue to weaken proposed rules.

Source: Financial Times