“Sensible regulation must also take a proportionate approach” to artificial intelligence, “balancing potential harms with social opportunities,” Pichai wrote in a column. In his view, companies cannot build technology and “let market forces decide how it will be used.” (Financial Times)

Talking point: This is Pichai’s first big public statement since being appointed CEO of Alphabet last month. Silicon Valley has faced a growing backlash against its vast market power and its perceived abuses of it, resulting in a move toward increased regulation. An early draft of a whitepaper from the European Commission, leaked last week, suggests multiple options for regulating AI, including a temporary ban on using facial recognition technology in public spaces—a proposal Pichai has backed. Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer Brad Smith was less enthusiastic, citing the benefits of facial technology for NGOs looking for missing children. Microsoft has called for increased governance of how technologies are designed and to whom they are sold, and plans to implement a governance process on responsible AI.