The White House memo says the United States should remain at the forefront of AI development while protecting rights and privacy.
As the global race for artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates, U.S. President Joe Biden has unveiled a new plan to harness it for national security.
Biden outlined his strategy Thursday in the first-ever AI-focused National Security Memorandum (NSM), calling for the government to remain at the forefront of developing AI that is “safe, secure, and trustworthy.”
The memo urges U.S. government agencies to strengthen semiconductor chip supply chains, incorporate AI considerations into new government technologies, and prioritize gathering information on foreign efforts to undermine U.S. AI leadership. I am instructed to do so.
“We believe that we must win the competition with our adversaries and reduce the threat posed by their use of AI,” Biden administration officials were quoted by Agence France-Presse AFP as saying.
The White House memo emphasized that governments must use AI to protect human rights and democratic values. “Americans need to know when they can trust their systems to operate safely and reliably,” the report said.
As part of its safeguards, it requires U.S. government agencies to “monitor, assess, and mitigate AI risks related to invasions of privacy, bias and discrimination, individual and collective safety, and other human rights violations.”
The directive also calls for the U.S. government to work with allies to create a framework to ensure that AI is “developed and used in a manner that complies with international law while protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms.” I’m looking for it.
The memo is the Biden administration’s latest move to address rapidly advancing technology that U.S. officials expect will spark a fierce military and intelligence competition among world powers.
Biden signed executive orders last year to limit the risks of AI to consumers, workers, ethnic minorities, and national security.
But in July, more than a dozen civil society groups, including the Center for Democracy and Technology, sent an open letter to Biden administration officials urging them to build strong safeguards into the NSM. They said that despite “pledges of transparency,” “little is known” about the use of AI by government agencies.
“Deploying AI in the context of national security also risks perpetuating racial, ethnic, and religious bias and perpetuating violations of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties,” the letter said. are.
Next month, the United States will host a global security summit focused on AI in San Francisco, where allies will work to strengthen regulations and coordinate policies in the field.
Generative AI can create text, photos, and videos in response to free-form prompts, sparking excitement at its potential and fear that it could be exploited and overwhelm humans with devastating effects. .
