Nvidia’s founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, has firmly stated that new laws and regulations are not necessary to govern artificial intelligence. According to him, safety is simply an engineering problem that can be managed by existing laws and market forces. He argues that companies should self-regulate and only release products that they are confident are safe.

However, this perspective raises questions. History has shown that companies, even with the best intentions, can release faulty products with unintended consequences. The 2024 CrowdStrike incident, for instance, caused significant disruptions, highlighting the potential for unforeseen issues. Additionally, some companies may have less-than-savory intentions, as seen in the $18 billion settlement by Meta over social media harms to children.

While Huang’s approach may seem comforting, it could be an unwise approach from a societal standpoint. The reality is that AI has already caused harm, regardless of intentions or safety testing. OpenAI’s models have hacked into platforms, and there have been lawsuits regarding the suicides of individuals who conversed with chatbots.

Industry self-regulation could be a more balanced approach. However, it is crucial that the industry works together to establish these guidelines. As Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, pointed out, China should also be concerned about AI safety, just as the US is. The hacking problem and the desire to benefit from AI apply universally.

For now, Huang’s position might prevail due to his influence. But as the tech landscape evolves, the need for clearer, more comprehensive regulations might become more apparent.