US Government to Evaluate Artificial Intelligence Products Prior to Purchase by Officials
According to a leaked draft copy of the order obtained by Bloomberg Government, President Joe Biden is set to sign an executive order on Monday that mandates AI tools undergo security testing before being utilized by federal agencies. This move represents his most substantial action thus far in regulating the rapidly advancing technology.
The draft, dated Oct. 23, takes advantage of the government’s position as a top customer of tech companies such as Microsoft Corp and Amazon.com Inc to transform their artificial intelligence products. It directs the Labor Department to write guidelines for federal contractors to prevent discrimination in AI-driven hiring systems, a concern of civil rights groups.
US lawmakers have shown widespread interest in limiting AI, but an overarching strategy has yet to emerge. Biden’s directive sets initial guardrails for the technology, while Congress seeks more effective legislation. Americans are already using artificial intelligence to write speeches, plan meals, and speed up research, among other things.
The president is set to sign a sweeping AI executive order just days before Vice President Kamala Harris and industry leaders attend a summit on AI risks in the UK led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The directive gives him concrete AI-related actions to publicize worldwide, as the European Union and China overtake the US in developing the technology’s regulation.
The 111-page draft order encourages the Federal Communications Commission to consider using artificial intelligence to block unwanted robocalls and text messages from consumers.
The highly-anticipated order builds on voluntary commitments to safely adopt AI that more than a dozen companies accepted over the summer at the request of the White House, and the administration’s AI “Bill of Rights,” a rights-based framework. For the safe development and use of artificial intelligence, which was published last fall.
It calls on immigration officials to streamline visa requirements for foreign workers with AI expertise and directs the federal government to accelerate the recruitment of AI talent from its own workforce.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
