CDT and Mozilla Join Civil Society Orgs and Leading Academics to Urge the Secretary of Commerce to Protect AI Openness
(WASHINGTON, DC) — On Monday, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) and Mozilla co-led a broad coalition of nearly 50 civil society organizations and academic experts in writing to Commerce Secretary Raimondo to urge her to protect openness and transparency in AI.
The joint letter is in response to a public consultation process run by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) at the Department of Commerce, to examine the risks, benefits, and potential policy approaches related to open models for AI.
NTIA’s inquiry is particularly focused on widely-available open “foundation” models that are published along with the model “weights” these systems rely on to make predictions. The consultation process was required by the Biden Administration’s recent Executive Order on AI. CDT applauded many aspects of that order, especially its focus on civil rights. CDT was also proud to host the kickoff event for the NTIA public consultation process with a panel of experts in December.
The letter highlights the many clear benefits of an open ecosystem of AI models, looking to the similar benefits–to competition, innovation, security, and transparency–that open source software has delivered over the past thirty years. It further notes that there is still a dearth of clear evidence that such open models pose a significantly different or marginal risk, compared to that posed by closed models or by access to the internet itself. Therefore, the letter concludes, the Administration should avoid broad, heavy-handed restrictions on the publication of such models in favor of more tailored applications of specific laws to specific harms.
“The range of participants in this effort—from civil liberties to civil rights organizations, from progressive groups to more market-oriented groups, with advocates for openness in both government and industry, and a broad range of academic experts from law, policy, and computer science—demonstrates how the future of open innovation around powerful AI models is critically important to a wide variety of communities,” said Kevin Bankston, CDT’s Senior Advisor on AI Governance.
“As our letter highlights, the benefits of open models over closed models for competition, innovation, security, and transparency are rather clear, while the risks compared to closed models aren’t,” Bankston continued. “Therefore the White House and Congress should exercise great caution when considering whether and how to regulate the publication of open models.”
“We are excited to collaborate with expert individuals and organizations who are committed to seeing more transparent AI innovation,” said Jenn Taylor Hodges, Director of US Public Policy & Government Relations at Mozilla. “We believe openness in AI will promote trustworthiness and accountability that will better serve society.”
“Mozilla has a long history of promoting open source and fighting corporate consolidation on the Internet. We are bringing those values and experiences to the AI era, making sure that everyone has a say in shaping the future of AI,” she continued.
In addition to the letter, CDT will also be filing comments on its own behalf before the comment period closes this Wednesday.
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The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is the leading nonpartisan, nonprofit organization fighting to advance civil rights and civil liberties in the digital age. We shape technology policy, governance, and design with a focus on equity and democratic values. Established in 1994, CDT has been a trusted advocate for digital rights since the earliest days of the internet. The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has a Europe Office in Brussels, Belgium.