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Elon Musk “Concerned” by Judiciary Probe & White House’s Role in Gemini AI, Citing Free Speech Censorship

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Samantha Dunn
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Key Takeaways
  • The House Judiciary Committee is investigating Alphabet Inc.’s Gemini AI model for potential influence from the federal government.
  • Concerns have been raised around Gemini’s biases and the possibility of government-induced censorship via big tech.
  • Elon Musk shared his concerns on X,

The House Judiciary Committee is investigating if the White House influenced the development of Alphabet’s Gemini AI model.

This probe could provide insights into how AI technologies might be used or misused to censor or manipulate public discourse, a concern central to Elon Musk’s legal action against OpenAI.

An Investigation into Government-induced Censorship

The House Judiciary Committee, led by Chairman Jim Jordan, sent a letter  to Alphabet on March 2, 2024, requesting documents and communications related to creating, training, and deploying its Gemini AI model.

The letter outlines the House Judiciary Committee’s investigation into Alphabet Inc.’s Gemini AI model, focusing on potential undue influence from the Executive Branch on the model’s development and content moderation policies.

As per the House Committee’s letter, the probe has found evidence of federal government involvement in content moderation:

“Since the Committee issued the subpoena, we have obtained evidence that the federal government has coerced or colluded with technology, social media, and other companies, including Alphabet, to moderate content online.”

The committee has requested various documents and communications from Alphabet and scheduled interviews with key personnel to probe these issues further.

White House Influence on Gemini?

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, expressed concerns about the House Judiciary Committee investigating the potential influence of the White House on the development of Gemini.

Elon Musk’s Legal Battle with OpenAI

Musk accused Altman and fellow OpenAI cofounder Gregory Brockman of breaching the terms of an agreement formed in 2015.

According to the lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, OpenAI now operates as a “de facto subsidiary” of Microsoft.

Although Elon Musk withdrew from his involvement with OpenAI in 2018, the complaint alleges that Altman has reneged on an agreement to run OpenAI as a non-profit organization.

Cardano founder, Charles Hoskinson, shared his thoughts on X , noting that The Musk lawsuit against OpenAI will be “foundational”.

Hoskinson added that the lawsuit “forces a legal discussion of what AGI is and also reveals how not-for-profits are used to evade taxes for commercial product development.”

Legal Disputes Reflective of Nascent Industry

The recent probe into Alphabet’s AI practices, including the development and deployment of the Gemini AI model, contributes to a larger conversation about what constitutes Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

The scrutiny of Gemini’s development, influenced by executive orders and external evaluations, could set precedents for how AGI is legally defined and regulated.

Numerous legal disputes between regulatory authorities and major technology firms highlight the ongoing conflict between innovation and regulation, illustrating the challenge of governing an industry that evolves more rapidly than global governments can adapt.

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