White House touts AI controls put in place over 180 days since Biden executive order
The White House on Monday detailed efforts U.S. federal agencies have taken under President Joe Biden’s AI executive order signed in October. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI
April 29 (UPI) — The White House announced on Monday some of the steps the Biden administration has taken to regulate the use of artificial intelligence for safety and worker’s rights 180 days after the president’s executive order.
In October, Biden signed an executive order that applied new requirements on AI tech developers to manage and mitigate the risk associated with AI. It represented some of the strongest government guardrails to date on machine-learning technology.
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The White House said over the past 180 days, the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy and Office of Science and Technology Policy have been involved with establishing a framework to prevent the misuse of AI for engineering dangerous biological materials.
The administration has also called for expanding international standards on AI and releasing draft documents for managing generative AI risk for public comment. Agencies have also developed AI safety and security guidelines and launched the first AI safety and security board to advise Homeland Security on potential issues.
Biden’s executive order also took steps to mitigate worker, consumer and civil rights risks posed by AI to “ensure that AI’s development and deployment benefits all Americans.”
“Agencies all across government are now starting work to establish these principles as requirements where appropriate and authorized by law, for employers that receive federal funding,” the White House said.
The Labor Department has released guidelines to assist federal contractors and employers in complying with worker protection laws as they deploy AI in the workplace.
“[The Labor Department] also guided applying the Fair Labor Standards Act and other federal labor standards as employers increasingly use AI and other automated technologies in the workplace.”
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also released resources for job seekers, employees and tech vendors about AI and potential employment discrimination and AI’s nondiscriminatory use in the housing sector.
In February, the Commerce Department named Elizabeth Kelly, who the White House identified as a “driving force” behind the AI executive order to lead the newly created AI Safety Institute.
