executive order AI
By Chelsea Jarosh, Industry Analyst at Government Business Council
The White House announced on October 30th, 2023 that President Biden is issuing an Executive Order on safe, secure, and trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The proposed comprehensive strategy should be a vital step toward protecting Americans’ privacy, advancing equity and civil rights, supporting customers and workers, promoting innovation and competition, and advancing American leadership around the world.
As AI’s capabilities evolve and grow, so do the risks and vulnerabilities. The Biden-Harris Administration has directed the following actions to ensure they are protecting Americans from the potential risks of maturing AI systems:
1. AI safety and security
- Require that developers of the most powerful AI systems share their safety test results and other critical information with the U.S. government.
- Develop standards, tools, and tests to help ensure that AI systems are safe, secure, and trustworthy.
- Protect against the risks of using AI to engineer dangerous biological materials.
- Protect Americans from AI-enabled fraud and deception by establishing standards and best practices for detecting AI-generated content and authenticating official content.
- Establish an advanced cybersecurity program to develop AI tools to find and fix vulnerabilities in critical software.
- Order the development of a National Security Memorandum that directs further actions on AI and security.
2. Protecting Americans’ privacy
- Protect Americans’ privacy by prioritizing federal support for accelerating the development and use of privacy-preserving techniques.
- Strengthen privacy-preserving research and technologies.
- Evaluate how agencies collect and use commercially available information.
- Develop guidelines for federal agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of privacy-preserving techniques.
3. Advancing equity and civil rights
- Provide clear guidance to landlords, Federal benefits programs, and federal contractors.
- Address algorithmic discrimination.
- Ensure fairness throughout the criminal justice system.
4. Standing up for consumers, patients, and students
- Advance the responsible use of AI.
- Shape AI’s potential to transform education.
5. Supporting workers
- Develop principles and best practices to mitigate the harms and maximize the benefits of AI for workers.
- Produce a report on AI’s potential labor-market impacts, and study and identify options for strengthening federal support for workers facing labor disruptions.
6. Promoting innovation and competition
- Catalyze AI research across the United States.
- Promote a fair, open, and competitive AI ecosystem.
- Use existing authorities to expand the ability of highly skilled immigrants and nonimmigrants with expertise in critical areas to study, stay, and work in the United States.
7. Advancing American leadership abroad
- Expand bilateral, multilateral, and multi-stakeholder engagements to collaborate on AI.
- Accelerate development and implementation of vital AI standards.
- Promote the safe, responsible, and rights-affirming development and deployment of AI abroad to solve global challenges.
8. Ensuring responsible and effective government use of AI
- Issue guidance for agencies’ use of AI.
- Help agencies acquire specified AI products and services.
- Accelerate the rapid hiring of AI professionals.
The Administration has worked with dozens of allies and partners abroad to ensure an international framework is developed for the use of AI. Although great actionable steps have been taken to safeguard AI; the Administration will continue to work with Congress to pursue bipartisan legislation to continue leading America in the right direction.
What does this mean for you?
As AI continues to be the topic of discussion across Government, Industry, and academia, keeping abreast of opportunities and policy changes is critical.
Download the GBC special report:
– AI in Government: Myths, Legends, Market Realities
Read About AI in the DoD
– AI & the Pentagon: Cautiously Curious
To read more from Chelsea, follow her on LinkedIn.