President Biden has issued an Executive Order (here also the fact sheet) aimed at ensuring that the United States takes a leading role in harnessing the potential and managing the risks of artificial intelligence (AI). The order covers a wide range of areas, from AI safety and security to privacy protection, equity and civil rights, consumer and patient safeguarding, support for workers, promoting innovation and competition, advancing American leadership abroad, and ensuring responsible and effective government use of AI.
New Standards for AI Safety and Security
The Executive Order focuses on enhancing AI safety and security. It requires developers of powerful AI systems to share safety test results with the U.S. government, especially if the system poses a risk to national security, economic security, or public health. Standards, tools, and tests for ensuring AI systems' safety are to be developed, with rigorous testing overseen by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The order also addresses AI's potential use in engineering dangerous biological materials, AI-enabled fraud detection, and advanced cybersecurity to find and fix vulnerabilities in critical software.
Protecting Americans’ Privacy
To protect Americans' privacy in the context of AI, the order calls for federal support for the development and use of privacy-preserving techniques, including AI-based methods for training AI systems while preserving data privacy. This involves advancing privacy-preserving research and technologies, evaluating agencies' use of commercially available data, and developing guidelines for evaluating privacy-preserving techniques, especially those used in AI systems.
Advancing Equity and Civil Rights
The Executive Order acknowledges the potential for AI to perpetuate discrimination and bias, particularly in areas like justice, healthcare, and housing. To address this, it provides guidance to prevent AI algorithms from exacerbating discrimination in areas like housing, federal benefits, and federal contracting. Furthermore, it focuses on addressing algorithmic discrimination through training and technical assistance, ensuring fairness in the criminal justice system, and promoting best practices in various aspects of the legal system where AI is employed.
Standing Up for Consumers, Patients, and Students
AI offers benefits to consumers and patients but also carries risks. The order aims to ensure responsible AI use in healthcare, with the Department of Health and Human Services establishing a safety program to address AI-related harms. It also supports the use of AI in education by providing resources for educators deploying AI-enabled tools.
Supporting Workers
The order recognizes that AI can impact jobs and workplaces, including potential workplace surveillance, bias, and job displacement. To mitigate these risks, the order calls for the development of principles and best practices to address job displacement, labor standards, workplace equity, health, safety, and data collection. It also instructs the production of a report on AI's labor-market impacts and options for supporting workers facing disruptions due to AI.
Promoting Innovation and Competition
The Executive Order emphasizes the need to maintain America's leadership in AI innovation. It includes initiatives to catalyze AI research, promote a fair and competitive AI ecosystem, and streamline visa criteria for highly skilled immigrants and nonimmigrants with expertise in critical AI areas.
Advancing American Leadership Abroad
Recognizing that AI challenges are global, the order seeks to expand international collaborations on AI. This involves engaging with other nations to establish international frameworks for responsible AI deployment, accelerating the development of AI standards, and promoting the responsible development and deployment of AI worldwide.
Ensuring Responsible and Effective Government Use of AI
The order acknowledges the potential benefits and risks of AI in government operations. It directs agencies to issue guidance for AI use, improve AI procurement, and accelerate the hiring of AI professionals. These steps aim to enhance the responsible deployment of AI within the government.
In summary, President Biden's Executive Order on AI covers a wide range of areas and actions to ensure that AI development and deployment in the United States are safe, secure, and trustworthy while protecting the rights and privacy of American citizens. It also seeks to promote equity, consumer protection, innovation, international collaboration, and responsible government use of AI. The order reflects a comprehensive strategy for responsible AI innovation and reinforces the United States' commitment to being a global leader in AI technology and governance.