White House Meets AI Leaders in Efforts to ‘Protect Our Society’

The Biden administration has restated its commitment to the responsible development of artificial intelligence (AI) after a meeting between Vice President Kamala Harris and CEOs of leading companies involved in AI research and development. The recent surge in AI progress, fueled in large part by the success of the OpenAI ChatGPT program and subsequent developments, has prompted discussions about ethical and responsible AI development.

The White House has emphasized the importance of credible and ethical innovation that reduces risk and potential harm to individuals and society. The announcement also includes a $140 million investment by the National Science Foundation for ethical AI research and development, infrastructure, and workforce diversity.

Several high-profile members of the tech industry have called for a break on AI development, bringing the conversation around ethical and responsible AI development into the mainstream. The US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will release draft policy guidance on the potential future use of AI by self-government.

Although AI development is decades old, the release of ChatGPT OpenAI in November and the latest GPT-4 big language model in March have turned AI adoption into overdrive. This technology has the potential to reshape industries broadly, and both companies and governments are scrambling to keep pace.

Last October, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy introduced an “AI Bill of Rights” blueprint with five guiding principles for the design, use, and deployment of automated systems. President Biden signed an executive order in February instructing federal agencies to eliminate bias and protect the public from algorithmic discrimination in new technologies, including AI.

During a recent meeting, the administration said that OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, Anthropic, Hugging Face, and Stability AI had committed to an independent public evaluation of AI systems during DEFCON’s annual AI Village hacker convention in Las Vegas, Nevada in August. . An independent evaluation will provide valuable insight into the impact of the model, helping developers address issues.

Vice President Harris said that “advancements in technology, including the challenges posed by AI, are complex. Governments, private companies and others must tackle this challenge together. President Biden and I are committed to doing our part—including by advancing potential new regulations and supporting new legislation—so that everyone can safely benefit from technological innovations.” The Biden administration’s commitment to responsible AI development will help ensure technology is developed for the benefit of all.