- Vice President Kamala Harris says new rules for government AI deployments, including a requirement that algorithms are checked for bias, will “put the public interest first.”
- According to the regulations, within the next 60 days, each federal agency must put a chief artificial intelligence officer in place to oversee the agency’s use of AI.
- The new policy also has provisions to encourage government agencies to innovate in AI where the technology can be used in the public interest.
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memo outlining new artificial intelligence regulations for federal agencies on Thursday, requiring federal agencies to be more careful and transparent in their use of AI.
The new AI regulations
The new rules stem from President Joe Biden’s October executive order “on the safe, secure and trustworthy development and use of artificial intelligence.”
“President Biden and I had extensive engagement with the leading AI companies to help ensure the private sector commits to the principles in the blueprint and establish a minimum baseline of responsible AI practices,” said Vice President Kamala Harris when Biden first signed the order.
The US hopes to emerge as an international leader with its new regime for government AI.
Harris believes the administration plans for the policies to serve as a model for global action. She said, the US “will continue to call on all nations to follow our lead and put the public interest first when it comes to government use of AI.”
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More transparency
According to the regulations, within the next 60 days, each federal agency must put a chief artificial intelligence officer in place to oversee the agency’s use of AI.
Agencies will be responsible for creating AI governance boards and must report to the federal government on how the agency is using artificial intelligence.
Federal agencies will also be required to present a yearly AI report to OMB outlining what kinds of artificial intelligence the agency is using and how it plans to mitigate the risks.
AI innovation in government agencies
The new policy from the White House Office of Management and Budget will guide AI use across the federal government.
It requires more transparency as to how the government uses AI and also calls for more development of the technology within federal agencies.
The policy demonstrates the Government’s attempt to strike a balance between mitigating the risks posed by the deep use of AI, the extent of which is not yet clear, and using AI tools to address existential threats such as climate change and disease.
