The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that its Office of Technology will host a virtual technology summit in January. The event, named the "FTC Tech Summit," will concentrate on key developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and strategies to safeguard consumers and competition in this rapidly evolving sector.
As per an FTC press release, the FTC Tech Summit is slated for Jan. 25, 2024, from 12:00 pm to 4:30 pm ET. The participants will include representatives from academia, industry, civil society organizations, and government agencies. The discussions will center around the state of technology, emerging market trends, and the impacts of AI. There will also be conversations about fostering a marketplace where businesses and consumers can flourish.
The FTC press release further reveals that the summit will begin with remarks from FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. Commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya are also expected to deliver remarks. Moreover, three panel discussions have been planned on topics such as hardware and other infrastructure needed for AI development, issues associated with data and models used in AI, and AI-powered consumer applications.
According to the FTC Tech Summit event page on the FTC website, the commission perceives this period as a "pivotal, all-hands-on-deck moment," marked by the emergence of large language models and generative AI along with their rapid development and deployment pace. The FTC acknowledges the immense potential of AI tools to enhance our lives positively but also recognizes its dark side – how AI is being used to "turbocharge" frauds and scams or how companies may exploit this technology to consolidate their dominance.
As stated on the FTC Tech Summit event page on the FTC website, the summit is open to public participation without any requirement for registration. Further details will be updated on the page as they become available.
