OpenAI’s Chris Lehane pushes for friendlier state AI laws

In short: OpenAI’s top public policy and communications executive, Chris Lehane, is trying to calm public fears about AI while encouraging US states to pass rules that do not slow OpenAI’s growth.

What's going on

OpenAI has been dealing with a growing public backlash, even as tools like ChatGPT remain popular. People worry about issues like job losses, misinformation, and how powerful AI systems might be used.

According to WIRED, OpenAI’s global affairs chief, Chris Lehane, is focused on changing how the company is seen and how lawmakers talk about AI’s impact on society. Global affairs is the team that handles government relationships and public messaging, similar to a company’s “front desk” for politicians and the public.

A big part of that effort involves state-level laws in the US. States have been considering their own AI rules, which could create a patchwork of different requirements, like driving through many towns where each one has its own speed limit signs and rules. Lehane’s goal is to steer those laws toward approaches that, in WIRED’s framing, would not derail OpenAI’s rapid growth.

What to watch

Watch whether more US states move forward with AI laws, and whether OpenAI and other AI companies can shape them. Also watch for how OpenAI responds to criticism from workers, creators, and consumer groups who want stricter limits and clearer protections.

Source: Wired