President Biden's AI worries were deepened by a 'Mission Impossible' villain
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- President Joe Biden had some real-word takeaways after watching the new "Mission Impossible" movie.
- The latest installment — featuring a nonhuman villain — left Biden more concerned about AI.
- Biden signed an executive order enacting stricter regulations on AI on Monday.
The AI villain from "Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One" may have had influence beyond the world of Ethan Hunt.
President Joe Biden watched the series' latest installment at Camp David, and it heightened his worries about the capabilities of artificial intelligence, Bruce Reed, deputy White House chief of staff, said.
"If he hadn't already been concerned about what could go wrong with AI before that movie, he saw plenty more to worry about," Reed told Associated Press.
In the film, a rogue sentient AI known as "the Entity" wreaks havoc on humanity. Cruise's Hunt is tasked with fighting the nonhuman threat.
On Monday, Biden signed a broad executive order that hopes to create safer artificial intelligence.
"AI is all around us," Biden said before signing the order. "To realize the promise of AI and avoid the risk, we need to govern this technology."
The order demands that major tech companies communicate the risks of their AI models with the federal government, particularly risks to national security, public health, and the economy.
It also targets misinformation and deep fakes by mandating a system of authentication and watermarking around government communication.
"I've watched one of me," Mr. Biden said. "I said, 'When the hell did I say that?'"
Major players in AI development have voiced concerns over the direction technology is heading and its relationship with humans. George Hinton, a man considered a godfather of AI, said he's worried about AI eventually outsmarting and manipulating humans.
Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, has laid out multiple "deep misgivings" about AI, from people becoming more emotionally connected to their AI friends to "lights out for all of us."