The new executive order acknowledged AI’s positive potential while also warning that “irresponsible use could exacerbate societal harms.”
On Monday, President Joe Biden released an executive order laying the groundwork to create standards and rules governing artificial intelligence (AI).
“Specifically, [the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (USAISI)] will facilitate the development of standards for safety, security, and testing of AI models, develop standards for authenticating AI-generated content, and provide testing environments for researchers to evaluate emerging AI risks and address known impacts,” the Biden administration said in a statement.
Biden’s executive order acknowledged the technology’s positive potential while also warning that “irresponsible use could exacerbate societal harms such as fraud, discrimination, bias, and disinformation; displace and disempower workers; stifle competition; and pose risks to national security.”
Some Highlight’s of Biden’s AI Executive Order
Some of USAISI’s and the Department of Commerce’s responsibilities outlined in the order include:
- Developing “robust, reliable, repeatable, and standardized evaluations of AI systems, as well as policies, institutions, and, as appropriate, other mechanisms to test, understand, and mitigate risks from these systems before they are put to use.”
- Addressing AI’s most pressing security risks “— including with respect to biotechnology, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and other national security dangers — while navigating AI’s opacity and complexity.”
- Testing, evaluating, and monitoring post-deployment performance to prevent misuse or dangerous modifications.
- Developing content labeling “so that Americans are able to determine when content is generated using AI and when it is not.”
- Training on the use of the technology.
- Developing and attracting talent in the development and use of AI.
- Deploying the technology in a way that it supports American workers.
- Developing policies that advance equity and civil rights.
- Protecting consumers: “The Federal Government will enforce existing consumer protection laws and principles and enact appropriate safeguards against fraud, unintended bias, discrimination, infringements on privacy, and other harms from AI. Such protections are especially important in critical fields like healthcare, financial services, education, housing, law, and transportation, where mistakes by or misuse of AI could harm patients, cost consumers or small businesses, or jeopardize safety or rights.”
- Protecting Americans’ privacy: “Agencies shall use available policy and technical tools, including privacy-enhancing technologies where appropriate, to protect privacy and to combat the broader legal and societal risks — including the chilling of First Amendment rights — that result from the improper collection and use of people’s data.”
- Managing the federal government’s deployment of the technology so it is used responsibly.
Senators Introduce Legislation
The move comes as governments around the world struggle to address AI’s impact. Biden’s order also reveals the executive branch’s limited authority over private tech companies and could create tensions in the technology sector, reports Politico.
Three days after Biden issued his order, Senate Intelligence Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) introduced a bill that would give it more teeth, reports Politico. If passed, the new law would have more lasting power than an executive order because executive orders can be rescinded by future presidents.
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About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
