WASHINGTON, Sept 13 Reuters Tesla CEO Elon Musk called on Wednesday for a U.S. referee for artificial intelligence after he, Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and other tech CEOs met with lawmakers at Capitol Hill to discuss AI regulation.

Lawmakers are seeking ways to mitigate dangers of the emerging technology, which has boomed in investment and consumer popularity since the release of OpenAI39;s ChatGPT chatbot.

Musk said there was need for a regulator to ensure the safe use of AI.

It39;s important for us to have a referee, Musk told reporters, comparing it to sports. The billionaire, who also owns the social media platform X, added that a regulator would ensure that companies take actions that are safe and in the interest of the general public.

Musk said the meeting was a service to humanity and said it may go down in history as very important to the future of civilization. Musk confirmed he had called AI a doubleedged sword during the forum.

Zuckerberg said Congress should engage with AI to support innovation and safeguards. This is an emerging technology, there are important equities to balance here, and the government is ultimately responsible for that. He added it was better that the standard is set by American companies that can work with our government to shape these models on important issues.

More than 60 senators took part. Lawmakers said there was universal agreement about the need for government regulation of AI.

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