Biden administration begins implementing new requirements for developers of major artificial intelligence systems to disclose safety test results to the government
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will begin implementing new requirements for developers of major artificial intelligence systems to disclose safety test results to the government.
The White House AI Council is scheduled to meet on Monday to review the progress of an executive order President Joe Biden signed three months ago to manage rapidly evolving technology.
A key 90-day goal of the order was a requirement under the Defense Production Act for AI companies to share critical information, including safety testing, with the Department of Commerce.
Ben Buchanan, the White House special assistant on AI, said in an interview that the government “wants to know that AI systems are secure before they are released to the public. The president wants companies to meet that standard.” I’m making that clear.”
Although software companies are working on a range of categories of safety testing, they are not yet required to adhere to a common standard for testing. The government’s National Institute of Standards and Technology will develop a uniform framework for assessing safety as part of an order signed by Biden in October.
Given the investment and uncertainty caused by the launch of new AI tools such as ChatGPT, which can generate text, images, and audio, AI has emerged as a key economic and national security consideration for the federal government. The Biden administration is also considering Congressional legislation and working with other countries and the European Union on technology management rules.
The Department of Commerce has developed draft rules for U.S. cloud companies that provide servers to foreign AI developers.
Nine federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Transportation, Treasury, and Health and Human Services, have completed risk assessments for the use of AI in critical national infrastructure, such as the power grid.
The government is also expanding its hiring of AI experts and data scientists in federal agencies.
“We know that AI has transformative effects and potential,” Buchanan said. “We’re not trying to put the cart before the horse, but we’re trying to see if regulators are ready to manage this technology.”
