Biden Signs Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence Protections
The order follows voluntary commitments made by leading AI companies in the country to the White House.
- President Biden signed a major executive order concerning artificial intelligence that attempts to balance the needs of AI companies with consumer rights and national security requirements.
- The executive order could create a foundation for protections pertaining to AI through future legislation and international agreements.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on artificial intelligence (AI), essentially setting the foundation for further regulations on the industry and allowing the U.S. government to invest in AI technology. The broad-ranging order focuses on safety, equity, privacy, and more. For instance, the order makes the Commerce Department create guidelines about labeling and watermarking AI-generated content.
The executive order builds on voluntary, non-binding agreements reached with leading AI companies in the country in July 2023. It also builds on the Defense Production Act to Get companies to share the results of safety tests with federal governments. The White House has also called for bipartisan legislation to support national interests regarding artificial intelligence.
The order further allows the federal government to invest in AI research and hiring for related roles. Cliff Jurkiewicz, Vice President of Global Strategy for Phenom, spoke positively about the move by Biden.
“The AI executive order provides a thoughtful approach and considers many variables relating to the technology’s impact across the federal government and private sector. It’s the proverbial throwing of the gauntlet saying that federal legislation is needed and giving direction on top priorities — outlining a comprehensive framework for government agencies to focus on and areas that require further exploration to fully understand how AI will impact competition, security, safety, and most importantly, the workforce.”
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The move comes with growing scrutiny from governments on the products being developed and launched by Big Tech companies. This has been driven by the adverse impacts of social media on mental health and now the impact of artificial intelligence on social and economic constructs of society.
The EU is already quite close to a comprehensive law to control artificial intelligence, and the U.S. lags in this regard. The private sector will be able to gain guidance about the expected standards they will have to negotiate with the government going forward.
The executive order will gain importance as strong enforcement of laws will be required shortly as AI companies push for self-regulation environments. It will likely set controls on how the AI industry contributes to the effects of its product on society and individuals.
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