US requiring new AI safeguards for government use, transparency
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[March 28, 2024]
By David Shepardson
(Reuters) - The White House said Thursday it is requiring federal
agencies using artificial intelligence to adopt "concrete safeguards" by
Dec. 1 to protect Americans’ rights and ensure safety as the government
expands AI use in a wide range of applications.
The Office of Management and Budget issued a directive to federal
agencies to monitor, assess and test AI’s impacts "on the public,
mitigate the risks of algorithmic discrimination, and provide the public
with transparency into how the government uses AI." Agencies must also
conduct risk assessments and set operational and governance metrics.
The White House said agencies "will be required to implement concrete
safeguards when using AI in a way that could impact Americans' rights or
safety" including detailed public disclosures so the public knows how
and when artificial intelligence is being used by the government.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order in October invoking the
Defense Production Act to require developers of AI systems posing risks
to U.S. national security, the economy, public health or safety to share
the results of safety tests with the U.S. government before publicly
released.
The White House on Thursday said new safeguards will ensure air
travelers can opt out from Transportation Security Administration facial
recognition use without delay in screening. When AI is used in federal
healthcare to support diagnostics decisions a human must oversee "the
process to verify the tools’ results."
Generative AI - which can create text, photos and videos in response to
open-ended prompts - has spurred excitement as well as fears it could
lead to job losses, upend elections and potentially overpower humans and
catastrophic effects.
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Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the
words "Artificial Intelligence AI" in this illustration taken,
February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
The White House is requiring government agencies to release
inventories of AI use cases, report metrics about AI use and release
government-owned AI code, models, and data if it does not pose
risks.
The Biden administration cited ongoing federal AI uses, including
the Federal Emergency Management Agency employing AI to assess
structural hurricane damage, while the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention uses AI to predict spread of disease and detect
opioid use. The Federal Aviation Administration is using AI to help
"deconflict air traffic in major metropolitan areas to improve
travel time."
The White House plans to hire 100 AI professionals to promote the
safe use of AI and is requiring federal agencies to designate chief
AI officers within 60 days.
In January, the Biden administration proposed requiring U.S. cloud
companies to determine whether foreign entities are accessing U.S.
data centers to train AI models through "know your customer" rules.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Michael Perry)
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