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U.S. government limits exports of artificial intelligence software

reuters.com

111–120 of 220 posts

Re: U.S. government limits exports of artificial intelligence software

#111
Progress in AI tech has been due to open sharing of knowledge, so much so that even companies such as Apple which tend to keep its research under closed doors started publishing open Machine Learning journals to attract talent.

AI tech is too powerful to be monopolised, if not democratised it might become another 'semiconductor' industry.

Re: U.S. government limits exports of artificial intelligence software

#112
post #91
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lots of interesting precedent to come out of it as well. By putting code on Github, an American website, as a developer are you actually exporting it? Or are the people cloning the repo reaching into America and extracting it? If it is considered exporting, is github the exporter, or is the developer. Just like a company might produce a metal widget but another company procures and exports it, the original company th…

I would not be suprised if we get something along the lines of "Unfortunately, this repository is currently unavailable in your country" sometime soon. Many websites still completely block EU users post GDPR, e.g. Chicago Tribune.

So that would mean I, as a foreigner, will have to do a little work to import it instead. That won't stop a lot of technically literate people.

Re: U.S. government limits exports of artificial intelligence software

#113

Additional details are present in the unpublished rule (document 2019-27649 [1][2]). -- cut -- Geospatial imagery “software” “specially designed” for training a Deep Convolutional Neural Network to automate the analysis of geospatial imagery and point clouds, and having all of the following: 1. Provides a graphical user interface that enables the user to identify objects (e.g., vehicles, houses, etc.) from within geo…

The export ban is on the software? Not the algorithm itself? And would it be broad enough that all AI and QI frameworks like PyTorch, Tensorflow and Qiskit would fall under its purview. These restrictions seem to flow from a mental model that still views software as a product purchased in a shrink-wrapped box. Rather than the services based model currently extant.

That is the point, to delay the adversary from gaining access to completed technology. An example is foreign adversaries purchasing PS3s with Linux to quickly access cheap computing power.

Whether frameworks are at risk is limited to the wording of the ban and then the final determination comes from a judge hearing the case. The chilling effects are real and its possible framework development may very well be hampered due to the unknowns you have pointed out in your post

Re: U.S. government limits exports of artificial intelligence software

#114

Additional details are present in the unpublished rule (document 2019-27649 [1][2]). -- cut -- Geospatial imagery “software” “specially designed” for training a Deep Convolutional Neural Network to automate the analysis of geospatial imagery and point clouds, and having all of the following: 1. Provides a graphical user interface that enables the user to identify objects (e.g., vehicles, houses, etc.) from within geo…

The "graphical user interface" bit is weird. I suppose you are fine if the software is driven entirely by keyboard shortcuts.

The GUI is specifically mentioned for training (tagging) of positive/false-positives that the ML then incorporates.

If you think about tagging it is something you need a GUI for unless you are lucky enough to have pre-tagged samples.

Eg: the famous Silicon Valley hotdog AI. You either need to have a GUI to allow users to select hot dogs and not hot dogs in a bunch of images, or you need a bunch of images already tagged.

Re: U.S. government limits exports of artificial intelligence software

#115
post #103

Additional details are present in the unpublished rule (document 2019-27649 [1][2]). -- cut -- Geospatial imagery “software” “specially designed” for training a Deep Convolutional Neural Network to automate the analysis of geospatial imagery and point clouds, and having all of the following: 1. Provides a graphical user interface that enables the user to identify objects (e.g., vehicles, houses, etc.) from within geo…

This overly specific intersection of requirements is how you target a single product in legislation.

Ah, I was scratching my head reading through it thinking about how unlikely it must be for something to have all of those properties. But if they were tailor made for a single product that makes sense.

Re: U.S. government limits exports of artificial intelligence software

#116

I recall similar happening during Bush admin during 2000s. Many of our software customers were international. To obtain an export license we were required to scan our source code with an approved Dept of Commerce scan software vendor to look for all kinds of inappropriate code like a too strong cryptography algorithm in the licensing portion and plagarism of copyrighted code. The first couple of releases this was don…

lmao this is hilarious. Imagine dealing with such stupidity while other countries don’t have to, instant competitive disadvantage

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Re: U.S. government limits exports of artificial intelligence software

#117

It's funny: it reminds me of "strong cryptography export ban" in the 2000's (btw, Oracle java still have it: you must download strong crypto package separatly)... Obviously, it failed! You can stop a single vendor with unique technology to provide hardware components with bans, but you can't stop a whole field spreading knowledge!!! People come and go, meet, talk, write, exchange knowledges... so sooner or later (and…

I don't think the government actually wanted to stop math [1] from leaving the border. It was just a tool to use against people they suspected being involved espionage. Just another reason to put you in a cell. https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSA_algorithm

No it makes it a pain to export any products abroad. In today's world where your market is probably not just the US anymore it is insane to have such rules in place.

Re: U.S. government limits exports of artificial intelligence software

#118
post #4

Bernstein's case established that he had a First Amendment right to publish source code under the law in effect at the time; he argued, successfully, that this was the form in which his research was communicated to other researchers. He won his case, but it took many years, and of course court cases are political processes; they may be decided differently when different judges have been appointed to the bench. It see…

> court cases are political processes; they may be decided differently when different judges have been appointed to the bench

This should not be true though, that's the point of having the law being a separate power.

Re: U.S. government limits exports of artificial intelligence software

#119
post #12

Other countries/companies will thank for the economic opportunity.

My initial instinct exactly, because major corps are global now, which means they can easily set up shop anywhere on Earth: subsidiaries, but also quasi-independent structures which might only be related through distant funding or meta-agreements.

So you can be an American company with tons of "friends" in the EU, Asia, Latin American and now Africa, doing stuff (research, product) and you would just happen to buy/sell from/through these independent actors. Fiction-Google: “Oh but that's not us! It's Oogleg, a Swiss company! It's true 95% of our private shareholders also have shares in Oogleg, but that's only circumstancial, these are large funds you know... they actually have shares in 95% of businesses altogether through ETFs and mutual funds dilution. + some legalese blabla.”

There goes your protectionism, State governments! You'll get your import taxes for physical goods and on-prems services but overall, it certainly won't impede or even touch the thriving heads, the global leaders of the business world. Not anymore. That was in another time, before global networks.

And actually, we might think Fortune 100, perhaps 1,000; but in truth it's probably much more (cue 80% of GDP in the form of SMBs) because how do you enforce a restriction on remoting to contribute to some repo somewhere?

Note that this is true as of 2020, factually from a technical standpoint, but given a few decades and some generalized country-based firewalls (it's coming, in all likelihood) + convenient surveillance and you get all the means necessary to enforce such policies anew.

Re: U.S. government limits exports of artificial intelligence software

#120

Additional details are present in the unpublished rule (document 2019-27649 [1][2]). -- cut -- Geospatial imagery “software” “specially designed” for training a Deep Convolutional Neural Network to automate the analysis of geospatial imagery and point clouds, and having all of the following: 1. Provides a graphical user interface that enables the user to identify objects (e.g., vehicles, houses, etc.) from within geo…

The "graphical user interface" bit is weird. I suppose you are fine if the software is driven entirely by keyboard shortcuts.

I thought input method is orthogonal to whether it’s a GUI. I think GUI is meant as opposed to text console or eg audio (like a phone dial-in service); it doesn’t necessarily mean a touch screen like I think you’re implying.
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