The White House will require agencies to test artificial intelligence tools for possible risks and designate officers to ensure oversight, which will encourage the responsible adoption of the emerging technology by the US government. The Office of Management and Budget released a government-wide policy to tackle the threats made by AI. It included discrimination and privacy violations and increased transparency over how the government leverages the technology, building on an executive order signed by President Joe Biden last year.

As per a White House fact sheet, agencies are directed to implement concrete safeguards by December 1st when they use AI in different ways that could influence Americans’ rights or safety. Chief AI officers will be appointed at federal agencies to organize the use of Artificial Intelligence across the government and ensure the implementation of OMB’s guidance.

The safeguards will ensure agencies can give travellers the ability to opt out of Transportation Security Administration facial recognition without delays at airports, better prevent bias and disparities in health care and allow human oversight when using AI to root out fraud in government services, according to the fact sheet.

“President Biden and I intend that these domestic policies will serve as a model for global action,” Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters, detailing the efforts. She said the US would “continue to call on all nations to follow our lead and put the public interest first” when promoting the use of AI.

Senior administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the measures, said high-risk systems would undergo rigorous testing under the new guidelines.

According to the fact sheet, the Biden administration intends to hire at least 100 employees with a focus on artificial intelligence by this summer. According to a senior official, some posts are expected to be political appointments that will not require Senate confirmation.

Alexandra Reeve Givens, president and chief executive officer of the Center for Democracy and Technology, praised the guidance as a “huge step” to help ensure federal agencies are using AI responsibly.

“This is about responsible use of taxpayer dollars and agencies having rigorous processes in place when choosing to deploy a new technology that could significantly affect people,” Givens said.

Content source: Bloomberg

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