Striking a balance: Rounds, Griffiths say America must advance AI capabilities while curbing abuse

Senator, Dakota State University president talk artificial intelligence at annual Biotech summit

It’s textbook catch-22.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), increasing computing power capacities and the human condition have U.S. officials and tech-industry leaders in a “never-ending battle we have to fight.”

That’s how Sen. Mike Rounds describes the struggle between regulating technology that uses computers to mimic human visual perception, speech recognition and decision-making, without stifling innovation and America’s understanding of the tool already changing the world.

“It’s truly a matter of not just expanding our capabilities, but to stay ahead of the bad guys,” Rounds said Thursday during a panel discussion with Dakota State University president Dr. José-Marie Griffiths on the rapidly changing landscape of AI and cybersecurity.

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The conversation was part of South Dakota Biotech’s annual Biotechnology Summit. The all-day event focused on the “new tech frontier.”

AI is undoubtedly a part of the world’s future, but the technology has been around for decades. The first AI involved computers successfully learning to play checkers in the early 1950s.

But it’s not just being used to play games anymore.

With the advent of quantum computers — machines that analyze massive amounts of data at high speeds — AI in an instant can now process information that would take a human being minutes, hours or longer. Its uses are wide, with nearly every economic industry and dozens of militaries optimizing operations with the tool — not to mention the countless term papers it’s produced.