US push for tighter AI regulation

The move will oblige developers of AI systems to hand over safety test results to The Whitehouse prior to systems’ public release, in accordance with the US Defense Production Act.

Speaking this week, President Biden emphasised the great need to govern AI technology, acknowledging its potential while also highlighting the risks it poses in the wrong hands. As such, the order mandates agencies to establish standards for testing and so that biological, radiological, chemical, nuclear, and cybersecurity threats can be addressed.

Responses to Biden’s action have been mixed, with some figures praising the developments and others expressing fears about how effectively such a leap forward in AI regulation can be enforced. Previously, commitments to policing were largely based on big market AI players making voluntary commitments to content authentication and watermarking for items created by AI.

Moving forward, guidelines will be put together by the US Commerce Department regarding accurate labelling of AI-generated material in a bid to optimise collaboration between tech companies and the US government.

The order also addresses intellectual property concerns; regulators and law enforcement agencies will be urged to check through AI systems for potential copyright violations, addressing ongoing legal disputes between tech companies and artists.

The countries of the G7 are currently working on an agreement to set up a code of conduct for firms to follow when developing next generation AI software. President Biden has now called on Congress to make more decisive legislative steps to safeguard user data, and reduce the risks of AI bias and human rights violations that have become associated with advanced AI systems.

Max Tegmark, President of Tech policy think tank Future of Life Institute, underlined how the US is “already far behind Europe” in this area.

“Policymakers, including those in Congress, need to look out for their citizens by enacting laws with teeth that tackle threats and safeguard progress,” he said in a statement. 

Biden’s executive order will also provide advice on federal benefit schemes in the US, and guidance for landlords, as well as help for federal contractors to reduce the risk of AI algorithms behaving in a discriminatory manner.