Why governments’ red tape could lead to AI disaster

Known for red tape and policies that lag behind the times, governments around the globe are having to look at themselves in the mirror and face tough questions surrounding their ability to keep up with AI. Each new model and advancement creates another hurdle for regulations that governments must clear, and so far, most countries are failing to keep up. 

Peter Benson, a security expert with 25 years of experience and Info Security Leader and CEO of Neural Horizons Ltd, is sounding the alarm about the growing divide between technology and governance.

Unable to keep up: "AI as a technology is outstripping our ability to regulate it," Benson says, reflecting on a longstanding issue that has only intensified in recent years. "This is something that's been around for 50 years, and it's just getting worse with the accelerated rate of change in tech, where society, institutions, and policy are unable to keep up."

Based in New Zealand, Benson notes that the country lags behind in AI governance, ranking around 40th in terms of national readiness. His call to action is clear: "There’s a real sense that governments need to lean into this big time," Benson states. "First, they need a national AI strategy. Second, they need an updated cybersecurity strategy. Third, they need to recognize that we’ll have to produce governance, guidelines, and regulations much faster than we are right now, and they’ll have to be dynamic."

Accessible 'bad data': Benson warns that the accessibility of poor-quality data to AI models presents striking risks to companies and everyday AI users. "The accessibility of bad data in these models is really quite frightening. If you don’t have control over the model or how it works, the potential for leaking business information becomes a serious challenge."