Three months back, a groundbreaking Executive Order was issued by President Biden to ensure that the United States takes the lead in embracing the potential and managing the risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI). The Order outlined comprehensive actions to enhance AI safety and security, safeguard Americans’ privacy, promote equity and civil rights, advocate for consumers and workers, stimulate innovation and competition, bolster American leadership globally, and more.
Today, Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed will assemble the White House AI Council, comprising senior officials from various federal departments and agencies. Reports indicate that these agencies have successfully fulfilled all the 90-day actions mandated by the Executive Order and progressed on other critical directives outlined for a longer duration.
Collectively, these initiatives represent significant strides towards fulfilling the EO’s objective of shielding Americans from potential AI risks while fostering innovation in AI and related fields. For further information, visit ai.gov.
Enhancing Safety and Security Measures The Executive Order laid out a series of actions to be taken within 90 days to combat the major safety and security threats posed by AI. These actions encompassed establishing essential disclosure requirements for developers of highly potent systems, evaluating AI’s risks to critical infrastructure, and impeding the endeavors of foreign entities in developing AI for malicious purposes. To mitigate these risks and more, agencies have:
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Leveraged Defense Production Act authorities to mandate developers of the most advanced AI systems to disclose crucial information, particularly AI safety test outcomes, to the Department of Commerce. These companies are now obligated to share such information concerning the most potent AI systems and also report substantial computing clusters capable of training these systems.
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Introduced a draft rule that seeks to compel U.S. cloud providers offering computing capabilities for foreign AI training to disclose their activities. The proposed rule by the Department of Commerce, upon finalization, would necessitate cloud providers to notify the government when foreign clients engage in training the most formidable models that could be utilized for nefarious purposes.
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Conducted risk assessments encompassing AI’s utilization across all critical infrastructure sectors. Nine agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Transportation, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Health and Human Services, submitted their risk evaluations to the Department of Homeland Security. These assessments, forming the basis for ongoing federal actions, ensure that the United States remains proactive in integrating AI securely into crucial facets of society, such as the electric grid.
Fostering Positive AI Development
To capitalize on the vast potential of AI and reinforce the U.S. position in AI innovation, President Biden’s Executive Order called for increased investments in AI innovation and initiatives to attract and train individuals with AI expertise. Over the past 90 days, agencies have:
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Commenced a trial of the National AI Research Resource to stimulate widespread innovation, competition, and equitable access to AI research. Managed by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), this pilot marks the initial phase towards establishing a national infrastructure that provides computing power, data, software, access to open and proprietary AI models, and other resources for AI training to researchers and students. These resources are sourced from 11 federal agencies and over 25 partners from the private sector, nonprofits, and philanthropic organizations.
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Initiated an AI Talent Surge to expedite the recruitment of AI professionals across the federal government, including through a significant hiring campaign for data scientists. TheAI and Tech Talent Task Force, established per President Biden’s E.O., has spearheaded this recruitment effort and is coordinating other vital initiatives to streamline the hiring of AI talent. The Office of Personnel Management has granted flexible hiring authorities to federal agencies for recruiting AI talent, encompassing direct hire and excepted service authorities. Government-wide programs for tech talent, such as the Presidential Innovation Fellows, U.S. Digital Corps, and U.S. Digital Service, have ramped up the hiring of AI experts in 2024 for high-priority AI projects. Additional details about the AI Talent Surge can be found at ai.gov/apply.
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Initiated the EducateAI program to support educators in creating inclusive and high-quality AI educational opportunities from K-12 through undergraduate levels. This launch of the initiative aligns with the Executive Order’s directive for the NSF to prioritize workforce development related to AI—an imperative step in advancing future AI innovation and ensuring that all Americans can leverage the opportunities presented by AI.
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Announced the funding of new Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines), with a focus on advancing AI. For instance, the Piedmont Triad Regenerative Medicine Engine, supported with an initial investment of \(15 million over two years and up to \)160 million over the next decade, will harness the world’s largest regenerative medicine cluster to develop and scale innovative clinical therapies, leveraging AI. This announcement aligns with the Executive Order’s mandate for the NSF to finance and launch AI-centric NSF Engines within 150 days.
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Established an AI Task Force at the Department of Health and Human Services to devise policies that offer regulatory clarity and drive AI innovation in healthcare. The Task Force is tasked with creating frameworks for evaluating AI-enabled tools and applications of AI to advance drug discovery, enhance public health, and elevate healthcare delivery. Notably, the Task Force has coordinated efforts to publish guiding principles for addressing racial biases in healthcare algorithms.
