President Biden has signed a new executive order that aims to regulate artificial intelligence to prevent it from being misused by companies while also ensuring that the privacy of Americans won’t be put at risk by this emerging technology.
According to a press release from the White House, the executive order will establish new standards for AI safety and security, privacy protections regarding the use of AI and it will promote innovation and competition so that the U.S. can lead the way in the development of the technology.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has also been tasked with developing standards, tools and tests to ensure that AI systems are safe, secure and trustworthy. Once these are complete, the Department of Homeland Security will then apply these standards to critical infrastructure sectors while also establishing an AI Safety and Security Board.
Preventing AI from putting your privacy at risk
Although many parts of this new executive order apply to the U.S. government and to the companies developing AI, there’s also quite a bit in there about protecting the privacy of Americans.
For starters, President Biden is calling on Congress to pass bipartisan data privacy legislation designed to protect all Americans and especially kids from the dangers posed by AI. As part of these measures, federal funding will be used to accelerate the development of privacy-preserving techniques like AI systems that can be trained while preserving the privacy of the training data used to teach them.
The Executive order also calls for the way in which agencies collect and use commercially available information — including information on Americans they purchase from data brokers — to be evaluated. This is a step in the right direction but myself and many others would prefer if U.S. government agencies stopped buying location data and other sensitive information from data brokers altogether.
President Biden’s executive order also deals with equity and civil rights in a bid to prevent AI from being used to discriminate against Americans. For instance, landlords, federal benefits programs and federal contractors will be provided with guidance on how they can prevent AI algorithms from being used to make discrimination worse. Likewise, best practices will be established regarding the use of AI in sentencing, parole, probation, surveillance, forensic analysis and more.
The executive order also deals with responsible use of AI in healthcare and the education system as both of these sectors can be transformed by AI to better benefit American consumers and students.
Outlook: President Biden is done waiting
When it comes to AI, Congress has been slow to act. Instead, it has decided to learn more about the technology before U.S. lawmakers begin passing new laws to regulate it. With his new executive order though, President Biden is taking a much more pro-active approach.
Even before signing this new executive order, the Biden administration has already started working to develop an AI Bill of Rights. It contains five principles designed to help guide the design, use and deployment of automated systems in such a way that the rights of the American public remain protected during the age of AI.
Like all executive orders, this one carries “the force of law” according to a senior administration official that spoke with CNBC. This means that the U.S. government can now start going after companies and organizations that abuse AI for their own gain.
We’ll likely learn more about the Biden administration’s plans regarding AI going forward but this new executive order is a great first step to ensuring that the privacy and safety of Americans won’t be put at risk as AI continues to advance.
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