Biden administration announces key AI actions after executive order

(Coin Telegraph)-31/01/2024

The White House released a fact sheet with its key actions on artificial intelligence (AI) on Jan. 29, three months after the release of President Joe Biden’s executive order. 

Bruce Reed, the White House deputy chief of staff, convened the White House AI Council, comprising officials from a range of federal departments and agencies, to hear reports of how they have implemented actions from the executive order. 

The fact sheet states these updates mark “substantial progress” toward the president’s mandate to “protect Americans from the potential risks of AI systems.”

The updates include using the Defense Production Act to urge AI developers to report “vital information,” including AI safety test results, to the Department of Commerce.

“These companies now must share this information on the most powerful AI systems, and they must likewise report large computing clusters able to train these systems.”

A proposed draft rule was also reported as an achievement, which asks U.S.-based cloud computing companies to report if they are providing computing power that assists foreign AI training. 

Additionally, risk assessments were completed by nine federal agencies, which cover the use of AI in every critical infrastructure sector. According to the fact sheet, the assessments will be used as the basis for further federal action.

Jamie Nafziger, the chair of international law firm Dorsey & Whitney’s Cybersecurity, Privacy and Social Media Practice group, told Cointelegraph that:

“This is the first assessment of its kind, and it will be conducted annually going forward. In addition, the U.S. completed several steps that will help streamline U.S. recruiting of international AI talent.”

In addition to the safety-oriented goals, the fact sheet highlighted new efforts and innovations over the past 90 days to “attract and train workers with AI expertise.”

This included the National Science Foundation and Nvidia partnership for AI advancement, the launch of the AI Talent Surge to promote hiring AI professionals across the federal government and the establishment of an AI task force at the Department of Health and Human Services, which will help develop policies for AI innovation in healthcare.

Nafziger highlighted that the U.S. has “met or exceeded the many requirements that were slated for the first three months in the executive order.”

“This year and continuing through June 2025, we will see many other aspects of President Biden’s order launch, with guidance expected from many federal agencies.”