Pai Says AI Could Revolutionize Communications as Rosenworcel Seeks TAC, BDAC Look

Artificial intelligence will have major ramifications economy-wide, potentially revolutionizing the communications industry, Chairman Ajit Pai said. At an FCC event, he urged “regulatory humility” when dealing with emerging technology, as micromanagement would be “foolish or counterproductive.”

Friday’s event wasn't about dipping commission “toes in the regulatory waters,” Pai said, but it’s important for agencies to be informed about potential impacts to the market it regulates. He said the FCC wants to understand how AI can enable radios to make “much more efficient use of spectrum.”

Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel suggested the Technological Advisory Council look at AI application to broadband and ask the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee to consider what it looks like in the next generation. AI, next-generation wireless and broadband capability are “exciting forces," she said.

The transition to 5G carries potential to use AI and machine learning, Commissioner Brendan Carr said. With smartphones and computing power transitioning to a decentralized network, the FCC wants to make sure the infrastructure can be built out to make the 5G network a reality, Carr said.

Innovation needs to move forward, but agencies should engage experts to account for AI concerns, said Georgetown University Medical Center Chief Data Scientist Subha Madhavan. It’s not right to regulate technology that government and industry don’t understand, and it’s reasonable to examine regulating the data collection practices that support technology, said Arizona State University professor Subbarao Kambhampati, saying decision-makers should question their own biases.

​​​​​​​Government’s first priority should be to ensure the technology is maximizing its potential, said Microsoft Technology Policy Director Carolyn Nguyen. If specific harms, like those associated with facial recognition technology, need regulation, there needs to be a multistakeholder process, she said.

​​​​​​​AI is moving very fast, and regulation early on can be problematic, said MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab Director David Cox. Use FCC “convening powers” to better understand the technology, he said.

As moderator, Pai asked about doomsday scenarios associated with AI. It’s silly to think a technology humans created will replace humans, Kambhampati said. AI is meant to make humans better, and it will increase the need for soft skills that people have and that AI can’t provide, Cox said.

AI raises “serious concerns” about jobs, data security and bias, said CTA Senior Manager-Government Affairs Michael Hayes. Nokia Lab Leader Chris White said industry is dealing with a “black and white” internet, and it will transition to “color” in maybe 10 years, allowing all applications to come together.

Microsoft’s Seeing AI app, which narrates physical surroundings​​​​​​​ for the visually impaired, is one example of the technology’s benefits, Pai said. Another is IBM’s Content Clarifier, which uses AI to make digital content more understandable for those with cognitive disabilities.