The potential risks associated with artificial intelligence have been increasingly underscored by Fortune 500 companies in their annual reports. The number of firms highlighting AI as a risk factor has surged by 473.5% in the past year, a new report reveals.
What Happened: A study by Arize AI found that 281 of the Fortune 500 companies, representing 56.2% of the total, have cited AI as a potential risk. This marks a significant increase from the previous year when only 49 companies, or 9.8%, had flagged AI risks.
The report highlights the growing influence of generative AI across various industries, even those that have yet to fully embrace the technology. Most mentions of AI in the annual reports are a risk factor, presenting an opportunity for companies to stand out by emphasizing their innovation and providing context on their use of generative AI.
The surge in AI warnings coincides with the increased awareness and interest in AI following the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT in late 2022.
Industries most concerned about AI risks include media and entertainment, software and tech, telecoms, healthcare, financials, and retailers. On the other hand, automotive companies showed the least concern, with only 18.8% flagging AI risks.
"If annual reports of the Fortune 500 make one thing clear, it's that the impact of generative AI is being felt across a wide array of industries—even those not yet embracing the technology," the report said. "Given that most mentions of AI are as a risk factor, there is a real opportunity for enterprises to stand out by highlighting their innovation and providing context on how they are using generative AI."
Why It Matters: The surge in AI risk warnings by Fortune 500 companies comes amid a broader discussion about the potential downsides of AI. In June, a Pew Research survey found that 52% of Americans were more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI, coinciding with an uptick in awareness about AI.
Moreover, U.S. regulators have flagged AI as a potential risk to the nation's financial system, calling for increased supervision and monitoring of this rapidly progressing technology. This is the first instance of the panel addressing the potential dangers of AI.
Meanwhile, the surge in AI risk warnings also follows the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI, which has been a subject of controversy. In July, a group of whistleblowers at OpenAI filed a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging that the company had been obstructing its employees from reporting potential risks associated with its AI technology to regulators.
《财富》500强公司的年度报告中越来越多地强调了与人工智能相关的潜在风险。一份新的报告显示，在过去的一年中，将人工智能视为风险因素的公司数量激增了473.5％。
发生了什么：Arize AI的一项研究发现，财富500强公司中有281家（占总数的56.2％）将人工智能列为潜在风险。这标志着与去年相比大幅增加，当时只有49家公司（占9.8％）举报了人工智能风险。
该报告强调了生成式人工智能对各个行业的影响越来越大，即使是那些尚未完全采用该技术的行业也是如此。年度报告中大多数提及人工智能都是风险因素，这为公司提供了通过强调创新和提供使用生成式人工智能的背景来脱颖而出的机会。
随着OpenAI的ChatGPT于2022年底发布，人工智能警告的激增，人们对人工智能的认识和兴趣有所提高。
最关注人工智能风险的行业包括媒体和娱乐、软件和科技、电信、医疗保健、金融和零售商。另一方面，汽车公司表现出的担忧最少，只有18.8％的人表示人工智能风险。
报告说：“如果说财富500强的年度报告清楚地说明了一件事，那就是生成式人工智能的影响力在众多行业中都能感受到——即使是那些尚未采用该技术的行业也是如此。”“鉴于大多数提及人工智能都是风险因素，企业确实有机会通过突出其创新并提供有关如何使用生成式人工智能的背景来脱颖而出。”
为何重要：财富500强公司的人工智能风险警告激增是在对人工智能潜在缺点的更广泛讨论之际发布的。6月，皮尤研究中心的一项调查发现，有52％的美国人对人工智能的使用增加感到担忧而不是兴奋，与此同时，人们对人工智能的认识有所提高。
此外，美国监管机构已将人工智能列为美国金融体系的潜在风险，呼吁加强对这种快速进步技术的监督和监测。这是该小组讨论人工智能潜在危险的第一个例子。
同时，人工智能风险警告的激增也是在OpenAI发布ChatGPT之后出现的，该版本一直备受争议。7月，OpenAI的一群举报人向美国证券交易委员会提出申诉，指控该公司一直在阻碍其员工向监管机构报告与其人工智能技术相关的潜在风险。
