As much as AI has provided us with a lot of tools and services that changed our work process for the better, it also comes with risks that could be mitigated if there are established rules. When it comes to national security, US President Joe Biden is determined to avoid risks as much as possible.
AI Safety Test Transparency
With how advanced artificial intelligence is becoming, it's starting to be more of a threat to various industries and aspects as well. Several concerns have already emerged regarding the matter, and the US government has declared a sweeping order to mitigate those risks.
AI companies will now be required to share their way of ensuring that the products and services that they are developing will not pose any kind of threat to US national security. The order has been issued on Monday, which they claim is the biggest step they have made.
"President Biden is rolling out the strongest set of actions any government in the world has ever taken on AI safety, security, and trust," says White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed. He added that it's the "next step in an aggressive strategy to do everything on all fronts."
US President Biden also spoke during the event, stating that there's "no way around it" and that they needed to "govern this technology" to realize the promise of AI and avoid the risk, as reported by the Financial Times.
There are already crises that are expected to happen should AI continue to operate without proper management. US Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler says that a financial crisis is "nearly unavoidable" if regulators fail to manage AI risks.
US Vice President Kamala Harris expressed that they "intend that the actions we are taking domestically will serve as a model for international action." This can be an important step considering there is no set of rules that are agreed upon globally.
In addition to that, Harris also stated that she will work with other countries to "apply existing international rules and norms with a purpose to promote global order and stability, and where necessary to build support for additional rules and norms which meet this moment.
Since AI companies are not slowing down with the technology's development, the government making sure that it's safe to use by looking into the conducted tests is a good measure. If anything, the order helps to avoid adding more to the already existing problems.
What They Aim to Achieve
The root of the order from the White House is the fear that AI might be used to advance lethal bio-weapons or enhance cyber attacks. With the tests being shared with the federal government, it could also help with protecting consumer privacy.
As reported by Interesting Engineering, there was also mention of preventive measures against discrimination in AI algorithms. Other than AI being used in healthcare, it would also help with law enforcement's use of facial recognition technology that utilizes AI as well.
