The US Has A New AI Strategy

Uploaded on 2024-11-04 in TECHNOLOGY-Key Areas-Artificial Intelligence, INTELLIGENCE--USA, GOVERNMENT-National, FREE TO VIEW

The White House has recently published a comprehensive plan to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance national security. This initiative reflects the urgency of integrating AI into the nation’s defence mechanisms amid increasing global competition.

The directive outlines a multi-faceted approach for federal agencies, emphasising the need to bolster the security and diversity of chip supply chains with AI considerations at the forefront.

The National Security Memorandum (NSM) on AI is expected to have significant implications for national security and foreign policy in the near future.

The NSM builds on key steps the President and Vice President have taken to drive the safe, secure, and trustworthy development of AI, including President Biden’s landmark Executive Order to ensure that America leads the way in seizing the promise and managing the risks of AI. Additionally, it highlights the importance of swiftly collecting intelligence on foreign operations targeting the US AI sector, ensuring that developers receive timely information to safeguard their innovations.

Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan emphasised the gravity of this initiative during an address at the National Defence University. “We have to get this right,” he stated, stressing the critical role of AI in the future of national security. He cautioned that a failure to deploy AI comprehensively could jeopardise America’s competitive edge and he also emphasised the delicate balance the government aims to strike between promoting fair competition and open markets while safeguarding privacy and human rights.

This commitment to safety is in contrast to the approaches of some international competitors, who may not adhere to the same ethical standards.

In 2023, Biden signed an executive order aimed at mitigating AI-related risks to consumers and national security and the White House’s latest initiative not only seeks to monitor and mitigate risks, such as privacy invasions and bias but also aims to establish a framework for collaboration with allies to ensure the ethical development and use of AI, aligning with international laws and human rights standards.

The NSM says that the US must retain AI leadership and harness AI to promote national security objectives while protecting “human rights, civil rights, civil liberties, privacy, and safety”. The memorandum includes important safeguards for free speech and to protect human rights, including that AI will not be used to make asylum decisions. However, these safeguards on constitutional rights can be waived for national security reasons, even in prohibited use cases and high impact cases of use of AI.

The NSM as part of President Biden’s broader strategy to regulate AI and the outgoing administration plans to host a global safety summit in San Francisco later this month.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will host on Nov. 20-21 the first meeting of the International Network of AI Safety Institutes in San Francisco to "advance global cooperation toward the safe, secure, and trustworthy development of artificial intelligence.

Image: Allison Saeng

You Might Also Read:

The Flawed Reality Of Artificial Intelligence:

If you like this website and use the comprehensive 7,000-plus service supplier Directory, you can get unrestricted access, including the exclusive in-depth Directors Report series, by signing up for a Premium Subscription.