President Biden Takes Action On Artificial Intelligence

Uploaded on 2023-11-02 in TECHNOLOGY-Key Areas-Artificial Intelligence, GOVERNMENT-National, FREE TO VIEW, BUSINESS-Services-Law

On the 30th October President Joe Biden issued a landmark Executive Order to ensure that America leads the way in the regulation and management of the perceived risks of Artificial Intelligence (AI). After years of non-binding agreements and ethical debates, the Biden administration has taken a step forward in its journey towards increasing regulatory oversight over AI technologies.

The US President has announced a new executive order that aims to regulate the development of “safe, secure and trustworthy” AI.

The law sets a series of safety assessments that all AI tools must follow, introducing new consumer protections and the need to ensure that AI respects equity and civil rights. The 100 page executive order on AI lays the groundwork for how the federal government will attempt to regulate the field as more powerful and potentially dangerous models arrive.

It makes an effort to address present-day harms like algorithmic discrimination while also planning for worst-case future AI tools, such as those that would aid in the creation of novel bio-weapons.

The Executive Order establishes new standards for AI safety and security, protects Americans’ privacy, advances equity and civil rights, stands up for consumers and workers, promotes innovation and competition, advances American leadership around the world. The order also lays out some basic safety rules to prevent AI-enabled consumer fraud, requires red-team testing of AI software for safety, and issues guidance on privacy protections.

The White House will also pursue new multilateral agreements on AI safety with partner nations and accelerate AI adoption within the government.

This Order places the US at the centre of the global debate on AI governance. However, this is a position the UK government hoped a summit it is hosting would allow it to hold. The two-day meeting which began on 1 November at Bletchley Park, has been prompted by concerns that the rapid advance of AI systems could lead to problems such as the development of more deadly bio-weapons and more paralysing cyber attacks.

A White House spokesman said the US had issued "the strongest set of actions any government in the world has ever taken on AI safety, security, and trust".

The AI Law Includes:

Creating new safety and security standards for AI, including measures that require AI companies to share safety test results with the federal government.

Protecting consumer privacy, by creating guidelines that agencies can use to evaluate privacy techniques used in AI.

Helping to stop AI algorithms discriminate and creating best practices on the appropriate role of AI in the justice system.

Creating a program to evaluate potentially harmful AI related healthcare practices and creating resources on how educators can responsibly use AI tools.

Working with international partners to implement AI standards around the world.

The Biden administration is also taking steps to build up its AI workforce so that workers with AI expertise can find relevant openings in the federal government.

The UK summit, hosted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, will focus on growing fears about the implications of so-called frontier AI. President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also be in attendance.

The UK is determined to position itself as a global leader in the space of trying to minimise the risks posed by this powerful technology. While the EU is in the process of passing an AI act, China has already devised a number of strict AI rules and now the US has issued this order.

Furthermore, according to reports from Reuters, the Group of Seven (G7) industrial countries are reportedly agreeing a code of conduct for companies developing advanced AI systems. All that activity raises the question of how much will actually be left up for discussion at Bletchley Park this week.

White House: BBC: E&T: Washington Post: The CIO: Reuters: DefenseOne: Platformer:

Image: Steve Johnson

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