WIREDGOV

Generative AI – which includes tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney – has gone from being a relatively unknown technology to a topic that dominates daily headlines across the globe. Benedict Dellot, Anna-Sophie Harling and Jessica Rose Smith from Ofcom’s Technology Policy and Online Safety Policy Development teams discuss how Ofcom is responding to these developments.

To get a sense of just how quickly the generative AI world is moving, we need only look at the number of new models released every week, or the amount of money flowing into AI startups in recent months. The most well-known model, ChatGPT, amassed over 100 million users in the first two months after its release. Analysts reported that it was the fastest-growing consumer internet app, comparing it with TikTok, which took nine months to reach 100 million users, and Instagram, which took over two years.

So, what does this mean for the future of the communications sector?

Transforming the communications sector

Whether you believe that generative AI has the potential to change the world for good, or that it poses more risks than benefits, most experts agree it is likely to have a significant impact on the future of our economy and society as a whole.

This is certainly true for the communications industries. From telecoms security to broadcast content, and from online safety to spectrum management, generative AI promises to disrupt traditional service delivery, business models and consumer behaviour.

Many of these changes could be beneficial. Generative AI models can be used in the production, enhancing the ability of producers to create compelling visual effects. Likewise, in the field of online safety, researchers are examining how generative AI could be used to create new datasets – also known as synthetic training data – to improve the accuracy of safety technologies. Generative AI can flag potential malicious activity by identifying abnormalities on a network, therefore protecting the security of data and online assets.

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