Opinion | Think of Artificial Intelligence Like a Weapon

Regarding Gabriel Rauterberg and Sarath Sanga’s “Shareholders Should Pay for AI Dangers” (Oct. 1): The line “customers demand the capabilities that make the product so dangerous” immediately brought to mind weapons. When a weapon is used in a way that harms another person, the manufacturer isn’t held liable, the user of the weapon is. In the case of AI, the person who is directing the AI agent to take harmful action should be held accountable. AI companies should be held accountable only under specific exceptions.

Access to AI should be restricted based on the capabilities available to the user. Access to weapons varies based on capability, a pocket knife can be purchased by anyone anywhere, firearms are restricted from certain groups, and missiles are only available to militaries and are meticulously accounted for. Not all AI is created equal.

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