October 30, 2023
President Biden is taking on AI. But is it too little too late?
Today the President signed this sweeping executive order that marks the US government’s most ambitious attempt yet to address concerns about artificial intelligence. Since we all started really using it – the ground breaking technology has grown exponentially and if you’ve used it at all you know it’s both amazing – and kind of scary with what it can do. And it’s those concerning issues the President’s executive order addresses – things like the inherent bias in the technology, the possibility that AI could cost American jobs and the fear that it could undermine national security.
The order tackles several issues…the biggest — national security and safety, content authentication, and safeguarding your personal data. But it also leaves room for the United States to continue to lead the way in the global innovation and implementation of AI. The reality is – the executive order can only do so much – the only way the President’s AI goals can be fully fulfilled is if Congress passes new laws. And that is a whole other issue.
So let’s talk about what happened today a few of the things the executive order does. First – it evokes the Defense Production Act. This gives the government power over the most powerful AI companies to make them prove that the tech is safe, secure and trustworthy and doesn’t pose a national security threat before it’s are rolled out to the general public. That includes ordering the Department of Energy and Homeland Security to develop a testing method for the AI systems to prove they don’t pose a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or cyber security risk.
When it comes to the content generated by AI — the order says the Department of Commerce will develop a new way to impose a content authentication process for AI generated content. That means in this ear of deep fakes – we could eventually be seeing some sort of watermark or label on images and videos or hearing it in audio that was created by AI so viewers and listeners aren’t confused if it’s real or not.
And when it comes to your personal data the order says the federal government will develop a system to protect your privacy while also allowing the AI systems to train on information that’s already publicly available.
The order also says a report must be issued about the impact AI will have on American jobs, it talks about limiting the bias in the AI technology, and since AI is a global issue – the order talks about how the United States will continue to work with other nations to make sure safe, secure and trustworthy AI can be deployed worldwide.
Read the Executive Order here.
Read the White House Fact Sheet here.
Watch POTUS sign the Executive Order here.
