Biden Taps Emergency Powers To Assert Oversight of AI Systems.

 

"WASHINGTON -- The Biden administration invoked emergency federal powers to assert oversight of powerful new artificial intelligence systems, part of a new executive order aimed at reining in the risks of the disruptive technology.

President Biden on Monday signed an order invoking the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to compel major AI companies to notify the government when developing any system that poses a "serious risk to national security, national economic security or national public health and safety," according to a White House fact sheet.

Administration officials described the measures as the strongest yet taken globally to ensure the safety of AI systems, stepping into what they see as a regulatory vacuum over a technology that could lead to job losses, privacy invasions or other harms.

"AI is all around us. Most of it is making our lives better," Biden said Monday at a reception attended by cabinet officials, lawmakers, tech leaders and advocates. "One thing is clear: To realize the promise of AI and avoid the risks, we need to govern this technology. . . .There's no way around it. It must be governed."

Some tech industry representatives said the new regulatory steps could discourage developers from training new AI systems.

NetChoice, a tech industry trade group with a history of suing government officials, criticized the order as an overreach, saying it was "dangerous for our global standing as the leading technological innovators." The group's vice president and general counsel, Carl Szabo, added that it was "ripe for legal action" because of burdens it places on the industry.

Monday's executive order earned a generally supportive -- though in some cases tentative -- reception from other technology interest groups, cybersecurity experts and Democratic lawmakers, most of whom said it took an important step forward in protecting against AI's potential harms without overly restricting AI development. Republican lawmakers largely didn't weigh in, while Democrats said it should build momentum for more comprehensive AI legislation that has so far stalled on Capitol Hill.

Congress has gradually expanded the Defense Production Act to apply to preparedness for nonmilitary emergencies, according to congressional researchers. Biden, meanwhile, has invoked the law relatively frequently, to accelerate Covid-19 response, electric-car battery production, baby-formula supplies and climate-change technology.

In addition to the requirement to notify the government about powerful AI systems under development, the order would also require companies to share safety testing results. The new requirement would apply only to big tech companies' next-generation AI systems, and not current versions, officials suggested.

The AI order also will take steps to begin establishing standards for AI safety and security, protect against fake AI-generated content, shield Americans' privacy and civil rights and help workers whose jobs are threatened by AI.

A central pillar of the order will be an effort to manage such national-security risks as cybersecurity threats. It addresses fears that AI might fuel a global arms race of more powerful cyber weapons and unleash an avalanche of online disinformation, such as deepfake images or videos that might be nearly impossible to distinguish from authentic content, officials said.

The order instructs the Commerce Department to develop standards for watermarking to help companies clearly label whether content is real or AI-generated. Federal agencies themselves would then use the tools. That could help in identifying deepfake content." [1]

1.  U.S. News: Biden Taps Emergency Powers To Assert Oversight of AI Systems. McKinnon, John D; Siddiqui, Sabrina; Volz, Dustin.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 31 Oct 2023: A.3.