Utah attorney general launches task force to help protect public from AI abuses

Utah Attorney General Derek Brown speaks at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Sept. 3. He announced the formation of a task force with leading artificial intelligence developers to tackle issues and safeguards in the AI industry.

Utah Attorney General Derek Brown speaks at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Sept. 3. He announced the formation of a task force with leading artificial intelligence developers to tackle issues and safeguards in the AI industry. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News )


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Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • Utah Attorney General Derek Brown formed an AI task force with other government and tech leaders.
  • The task force partners with OpenAI and Microsoft to address risks and safeguards of the technology.
  • Focus areas include law enforcement collaboration and tracking developments to respond appropriately.

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Attorney General Derek Brown announced Thursday the formation of a task force with leading artificial intelligence developers to tackle issues and safeguards in the AI industry.

Along with North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, Brown is partnering with leaders from OpenAI and Microsoft in a "groundbreaking bipartisan AI Task Force" that aims to protect the public and reduce the risk of harm from AI technologies.

"Freedom means being free from manipulation or exploitation by powerful technologies," Brown said in a statement. "This task force is committed to defending our freedoms and our privacy while also building a safer digital world for our families and our children. By working together with other attorneys general, we will protect our society from potential abuses of AI before they ever happen."

The task force will focus on three things: working with law enforcement, experts and stakeholders to identify emerging AI issues, develop basic safeguards for developers to follow, create a "standing forum" to track AI developments and coordinate timely responses.

"AI is moving fast, and so are the risks," Jackson said. "Congress hasn't put basic protections in place, and we can't wait. As attorneys general, our job is to keep people safe. AI is becoming part of everyday life for families and kids. Taking thoughtful steps now will help prevent harm as this technology becomes more powerful and more present in our daily lives."

Brown and Jackson worked together earlier this year with other attorneys general to remove language in the federal budget reconciliation bill that would have placed a 10-year moratorium on the enforcement of laws involving artificial intelligence. They also have urged search engines and payment platforms to do more to fight deepfake pornography.

"We're grateful to be working with state attorneys general across the country, and especially appreciative of Generals Jackson and Brown for bringing everyone together for this important conversation," said Jason Kwon, chief strategy officer for OpenAI.

"AI can make a real difference in people's everyday lives, and we know we have to get this right since it has real-world impact. State attorneys general have a key role in making sure this technology earns people's trust and delivers real benefits for communities," Known said.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Cassidy Wixom, KSLCassidy Wixom
Cassidy Wixom is an award-winning reporter for KSL. She covers Utah County communities, arts and entertainment, and breaking news. Cassidy graduated from BYU before joining KSL in 2022.

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