As we continue to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence, it's becoming increasingly clear that we're not just making mistakes – we're creating a whole new level of chaos. From error-ridden commercials to fake YouTube videos about non-existent vehicles, AI's track record is riddled with costly errors. And yet, politicians and C-suite executives are still obsessed with it, pushing it on us whether we like it or not. Take, for example, the Republican-led Department of Transportation, which is currently planning to start using AI to write transportation regulations. Yes, you read that right – AI is going to be writing the rules that govern air travel, crash safety, and who knows what else. The idea may sound crazy, but it's not entirely new. In December, DOT lawyer Daniel Cohen reportedly told employees that AI had the "potential to revolutionize the way we draft rulemakings" and promised a demonstration that would ...
As we continue to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we’re not just making mistakes – we’re creating a whole new level of chaos. From error-ridden commercials to fake YouTube videos about non-existent vehicles, AI’s track record is riddled with costly errors. And yet, politicians and C-suite executives are still obsessed with it, pushing it on us whether we like it or not.
Take, for example, the Republican-led Department of Transportation, which is currently planning to start using AI to write transportation regulations. Yes, you read that right – AI is going to be writing the rules that govern air travel, crash safety, and who knows what else. The idea may sound crazy, but it’s not entirely new. In December, DOT lawyer Daniel Cohen reportedly told employees that AI had the “potential to revolutionize the way we draft rulemakings” and promised a demonstration that would show off “exciting new AI tools available to DOT rule writers to help us do our job better and faster.”
But what’s really going on here? According to reports, Gregory Zerzan, the DOT’s general counsel, wants the agency to be the “point of the spear” when it comes to federal use of AI and “the first agency that is fully enabled to use AI to draft rules.” And what does that mean, exactly? It means that AI will be writing the rules, and we’ll be following them blindly.
Now, you might think that we’d want the rules that planes, trains, and automobiles are expected to follow to be written by real-life humans who actually know things. But that’s not what’s happening here. Zerzan reportedly said, “We don’t need the perfect rule on XYZ. We don’t even need a very good rule on XYZ. We want good enough. We’re flooding the zone.” That’s right – the goal is to churn out as many regulations as possible, regardless of their quality.
It’s a recipe for disaster, and it’s only going to get worse. As we continue to rely on AI to make decisions, we’re going to see more and more mistakes. And who’s going to be responsible? The AI, of course. But what about the humans who programmed it? They’ll just be able to point to the AI and say, “It’s not our fault.”
The consequences are already being felt. We’ve seen error-ridden commercials and fake YouTube videos, and it’s only a matter of time before we see more. And what about the safety implications? Are we really going to trust AI to write the rules that govern air travel and crash safety?
The answer is no. We need to take a step back and reevaluate our reliance on AI. We need to make sure that we’re using it in a way that’s safe, reliable, and transparent. Anything less is just not good enough.
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