President Biden Releases Executive Order on AI
Amidst news that the European Union is hard at work on comprehensive AI regulation, President Biden issued the US's first major response to AI in the form of an executive order that acts as broader guidelines on the pillars of responsible AI development.
The EO leads off with this apt summary, "AI reflects the principles of the people who build it, the people who use it, and the data upon which it is built."
On policy and principles, the EO highlights:
- AI must be safe and secure
- The US must promote responsible innovation, collaboration, and competition within the AI sphere
- There must be a commitment to American workers
- Any AI laws must advance equity and civil rights
- Americans' privacy and civil liberties must be protected as AI advances
- The Federal Government must set out a plan for its own responsible usage of AI
This is not a binding law in any way whatsoever, and the biggest takeaways are the emphasis on the value of data privacy as a bedrock of responsible AI governance and the (loose) timelines set out for government agencies to develop plans for their own AI usage.
With the lack of a federal data privacy law and a largely technologically illiterate Congress however, there are significant roadblocks for the country to clear before passing any AI law.
