Joe Biden aims to cut AI risks with executive order

With the issuance of a new executive order on Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden hopes to lessen the threats that artificial intelligence (AI) poses to workers, consumers, minority groups, and national security.

Joe Biden aims to cut AI risks with executive order

The order, which Biden signed at the White House, directs agencies to set standards for that testing and address related cybersecurity, radiological, nuclear, biological, and chemical risks.

Biden stated, “To realize the promise of AI and avoid the risk, we need to govern this technology. ”

He added, “In the wrong hands, AI can make it easier for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities in the software that makes our society run.”

In compliance with the Defence Production Act, developers of AI systems that endanger the economy, public health, safety, or national security of the United States must share the results of safety testing with the government before the systems are made available to the general public.

The action represents the administration’s most recent attempt to establish guidelines for artificial intelligence (AI) as the technology rapidly advances in capability and popularity in an environment with little regulation until this point.

Tusk Ventures’ CEO, Bradley Tusk, who invests in technology and artificial intelligence (AI), welcomed the decision.

However, he predicted that IT companies would be hesitant to provide the government with confidential information for fear that competitors might obtain it.

Tusk stated, “Without a real enforcement mechanism, which the executive order does not seem to have, the concept is great, but adherence may be very limited,”

NetChoice, a national trade association with major tech platforms, described the order as an “AI Red Tape Wishlist.”

According to NetChoice, this will stifle new companies and competitors from entering the marketplace and significantly expand the power of the federal government over American innovation.

The new order goes beyond the voluntary commitments made earlier this year by companies such as OpenAI, Alphabet (GOOGL.O), and Meta Platforms (META.O) to watermark content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) to increase the safety of the technology.

To ensure that government communications are clear, the White House said in a release that the Commerce Department will “develop guidance for content authentication and watermarking” as part of the order.

The order also set out requirements that federal law enforcement agencies and intellectual property regulators address the use of copyrighted works in AI training, including a call to “evaluate AI systems for IP law violations.”

Renowned writers and visual artists have sued tech corporations several times, alleging that they stole their creations and used them to train generative AI systems. Technology corporations argue that the fair-use doctrine of US copyright law protects their usage of the content.

According to a G7 document, The Group of Seven industrial countries will agree on a code of conduct for businesses creating sophisticated AI systems.

In response to concerns raised by American officials, Biden’s executive order calls for guidance to be given to federal contractors, landlords, and federal benefit programmes “to keep AI algorithms from being used to exacerbate discrimination,” according to the release.

In addition, the order mandates the creation of “best practices” to address potential worker harms from AI, including job displacement, and necessitates a report on labour market impacts.