The UK Competition and Markets Authority establish specific principles to help guide AI regulations and the companies developing the technology.
The CMA, which acts as the UK’s main antitrust regulator, focused its attention on the basic models: AI systems such as OpenAI’s GPT-4, Meta’s Llama 2 and other large language models that form the basis for many antitrust cases. use of generative AI.
Companies that manufacture foundation models must follow seven principles. This includes ensuring that developers and companies using these models are accountable for the results consumers receive, ensuring broad access to chips and processors and the training data needed to develop these AI systems, and offering a diversity of business models by including open systems and closed models. The CMA also said that companies should offer a choice for companies to decide how to use the model, offer flexibility or interoperability to switch to other models or use multiple models at the same time, avoid anti-competitive actions such as bundling or self-preemption, and offer Transparency about the risks and limitations of generative AI content.
The CMA developed the principles after an initial review before launching a series of dialogues with consumer and civil society groups, core model developers such as Google, Meta, OpenAI, Microsoft, Nvidia and Anthropic, core model users and academics.
The agency said it is necessary to provide principles for the development and deployment of basic models to protect competition and prevent underperforming AI systems from proliferating.
“The impact of founding models could allow a wider range of companies to compete successfully, perhaps challenging incumbents,” the CMA said in its review. “Vibrant competition and innovation could benefit the economy as a whole through increased productivity and economic growth.”
He added that if competition is weak, “a handful of companies gain or strengthen positions of market power and do not offer the best products and services or charge high prices.”
While the CMA admitted that AI regulation raises broader questions about copyright and privacy and data protection, it chose to focus on competition and consumer protection to help guide the current development of the technology.
Governments around the world have been investigating different ways to regulate generative AI. The European Union, in its proposed AI Law, also focused on basic models and requiring companies to comply with transparency rules. China’s recent AI regulations require AI companies to register with the government and promise not to offer anti-competitive algorithms.
Meanwhile, the United States is still figuring out how to approach AI regulation, although some policymakers hope to have their rules approved by the end of this year.
