AI use regulations should evolve along with technology — experts

By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter

REGULATIONS on artificial intelligence (AI) should be “flexible and mature” to consider the continuous evolution of the technology, according to officials of universities.

R.F. Shangraw, Jr., president of Cintana Education and a faculty member at Arizona State University (ASU), said AI technology will continue to evolve, and thus will require changing regulations.

“I think it’s important that those regulations be flexible and mature as the technology matures,” Mr. Shangraw said in a roundtable discussion on Wednesday.

He said things on the ground change fast, noting how universities previously banned the use of ChatGPT but now allow it within specific perimeters.

“[AI] is going to be evolving. Just like any other technology, it is going to evolve. And I don’t think we can get set on a fixed set of regulations that will last forever,” Mr. Shangraw said.

“I think you are going to have to constantly review those policies and a constant review by the faculty and other members,” he added.

According to Mr. Shangraw, ASU has a governing board composed of faculty and administrators that reviews policies weekly because things are rapidly changing.

“I think that policies need to be put in place now, and I think there are some frameworks that are out there… but I think the worst thing you can do is not have a framework at all,” he added.

Cintana is ASU’s global implementation partner that handles ASU’s plans to work outside the US and makes sure that the university’s programs and activities are well coordinated.

Mapúa University, ASU’s exclusive partner in the Philippines, also has a governing body working on their policy on the use of AI.

“Just recently, we finalized our academic policy on the use of AI, and in fact, we are fine-tuning it. We are also creating a policy for the whole conglomerate (iPeople, Inc.),” said Dodjie S. Maestrecampo, president and chief executive officer of Mapúa.

Mapua’s governing body is currently composed of its academic council, and the school is targeting to involve other groups such as students, administration, teachers, and personnel.

“[AI] will continually evolve, and I think that is the reason why we cannot finalize it (rules) because we are trying to actually have a final version of it. So, I think we should just have a living document that we can continuously upgrade as [AI] evolves,” he added.

Mr. Maestrecampo said the establishment of policies will help in harnessing the benefits of AI in a responsible way.

“We have to do this. We have to define policies — the dos and don’ts — for the use of AI. And I think that is the first step to make sure that this will be an innovation that is centered around principles and around the proper use of this technology,” he said.

Amid calls for AI regulation, Mr. Shangraw said the government must converse with stakeholders.

“I think out of those conversations will come a set of broad parameters around how to coexist with AI,” he said.

“It is a challenge because you don’t want too many regulations in place that stymie innovation in the field, and on the other hand, you don’t want technology to work in ways that are detrimental to the general public,” he added.