Jonathan Mayer, a professor at Princeton University who
researches technology and law, will serve as chief science and
technology adviser and chief AI officer, the department said.
"The Justice Department must keep pace with rapidly evolving
scientific and technological developments in order to fulfill
our mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe and
protect civil rights," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in
a statement.
Mayer will advise Garland and the department leadership on
issues related to emerging technologies, including how to
responsibly integrate AI into the department’s investigations
and criminal prosecutions.
U.S. officials have been wrestling with how to minimize the
dangers posed by a loosely regulated and rapidly expanding
technology while also seeking to exploit its potential benefits.
The Justice Department has already used AI to trace the source
of opioids and other illegal drugs, analyze tips submitted to
the FBI, and organize evidence collected in its probe of the
Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Deputy Attorney General
Lisa Monaco said during a speech in Britain last week.
Monaco said the technology could help the United States detect
and disrupt terror plots and hostile actions from U.S.
adversaries. But she said the department is also concerned about
its potential to amplify existing biases, tamper with elections
and create new opportunities for cyber criminals.
“Every new technology is a double-edged sword, but AI may be the
sharpest blade yet,” Monaco said during the speech at Oxford
University.
Mayer is set to lead a newly formed board of law enforcement and
civil rights officials that will advise Garland and others at
the Justice Department on the ethics and efficacy of AI systems.
He will also seek to recruit more technological experts to the
department.
Mayer served as the technology adviser to now-Vice President
Kamala Harris when she was a U.S. senator and also worked for
the Federal Communications Commission.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Scott Malone and Bill
Berkrot)
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