WASHINGTON – President Biden issued a sweeping executive order on Monday regulating the development of artificial intelligence – after Elon Musk, Sam Altman and other industry leaders warned that unchecked technological advances could pose risks to humans.
Under the first act of its kind, companies such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft-backed OpenAI will be required to share security test results with the government when they train AI models that pose a potential “serious risk to national security, national economic security, or national public health and safety.” “
“President Biden is launching the strongest set of actions ever taken by any government in the world on the safety, security and trust of AI,” White House deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed said in a statement.
“It is the next step in an aggressive strategy to do everything in all areas to leverage the benefits of AI and reduce risks,” he added.
The order is largely intended to expand voluntary cooperation from leading technology companies, task key government agencies with making various reforms, and lay out additional guidelines for federal AI use.
Biden gave most agencies between three months and a year to fulfill their part of the executive order, administration officials told multiple outlets.
New standards
Supporting the executive order is a push for the government to develop stronger standards for the use of AI.
One area that will receive particular scrutiny is the use of AI to develop biological materials after some AI experts expressed concern that the technology could be used to help engineer bioweapons.
The order requires federal agencies that fund projects to develop standards for the use of AI in order to be eligible for funding.
This executive order comes after warnings from Elon Musk and Sam Altman.AP
Biden also tasked the National Institute of Standards and Technology with creating metrics for so-called “red tests” to ensure security in the program.
To help users distinguish between mostly human-generated content and AI-generated content, the Commerce Department will provide guidelines for watermarking AI-generated content.
Additionally, the president used the National Security Council to resolve ethical AI principles for the use of the technology in intelligence gathering operations.
Privacy, Civil and Employee Rights
To protect privacy, Biden called on the federal government to help fund research into technologies such as cryptographic tools that can protect against eavesdropping.
The administration also plans to examine how companies extract commercially available information and encourage the use of AI training modules designed to protect privacy.
Companies such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft-backed OpenAI will be required to share security test results with governmentAP
The Department of Justice and federal civil rights offices will also be required to compile best practices on how to prevent technology from being used to reinforce discrimination.
For workers, the administration will write a report on the impact of AI on the labor market and try to prevent employers from using AI to compensate their workers.
Balancing Act
Underpinning the new EO are concerns that strengthened AI regulations could hinder the development of critical US technologies and cede ground to geopolitical rivals like China.
To address this, Biden is making the State and Commerce departments push for an international framework on the new technology.
The administration will also work to streamline visas to attract high-skilled workers and developers to the US.
In addition, the administration will build a National AI Research Resource, which will help give AI developers access to a variety of resources to further their research projects in an effort to encourage innovation.
Critics say Big Tech leaders are taking advantage of public fears.REUTERS
Critics of the regulatory push argue that Big Tech leaders are taking advantage of public anxiety to push for regulations that would effectively stave off competition in a growing industry.
Carl Szabo, NetChoice’s vice president and general counsel, called the executive order “a misguided approach to governing AI” and “dangerous to our global position as a leading technology innovator.”
NetChoice is a coalition of trade associations, e-commerce businesses such as Amazon and Google, and online consumers, “all sharing the goal of promoting convenience, choice and commerce” on the internet, according to its website.
“AI has great potential to improve people’s lives, and we cannot let fear hold the United States back,” the site also stated.
Carl Szabo, NetChoice’s vice president and general counsel, believes President Biden is taking the wrong approach.REUTERS
“The broad regulatory measures in Biden’s AI red tape wish list will stifle new companies and competitors from entering the market and significantly expand the federal government’s power over American innovation,” Szabo said. “Thus, this order puts any investment in AI at risk of being shut down at the whim of government bureaucrats.”
“There are many regulations already governing AI,” he added. “Instead of examining how these existing rules can be used to address modern challenges, Biden has chosen to further increase the complexity and burden of the federal code.”
Filling congressional vacancies
Biden’s executive order comes as Congress slowly cobbles together different frameworks for regulating new technologies.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has been meeting with industry leaders and holding a forum to outline a path to regulating AI, though specifics are limited.
Szabo also argued that this would prevent new companies from entering the market.AP
Other lawmakers have floated competing concepts.
Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), for example, have launched a blueprint that would create a federal licensing and accountability system and mandate transparency.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) have been eyeing a light-touch approach that might require self-certification of safety in risky AI programs, Politico reported.
None of the proposed regulatory frameworks appear close to being enacted into legislation anytime soon.
AI week
Biden’s executive order announcement is the first in a series of AI-related events and initiatives planned for this week.
Biden was due to speak about his directive with Vice President Kamala Harris later Monday.
Later this week, Harris will fly to the United Kingdom and take part in the Global Summit on AI Security hosted by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from Wednesday.
The event marked the first meeting of its kind between Western allies and key industry leaders to grapple with the challenges and risks posed by AI.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
