(CNN) The White House on Thursday announced a series of measures to address the challenges of artificial intelligence, propelled by the sudden popularity of tools like ChatGPT and growing concerns about the technology’s potential risks for discrimination, misinformation and privacy.
The US government plans to introduce policies that shape how federal agencies procure and use AI systems, the White House said. The switch could significantly affect the market for artificial intelligence products and control how Americans interact with AI on government websites, at security checkpoints and in other contexts.
The National Science Foundation will also spend $140 million to boost research and development in AI, the White House added. The funds will be used to create research centers that seek to apply artificial intelligence to issues such as climate change, agriculture and public health, according to the administration.
The plan came the same day Vice President Kamala Harris and other administration officials met with the CEOs of Google, Microsoft, ChatGPT creator OpenAI and Anthropic to stress the importance of ethical and responsible AI development . And it coincides with a British government inquiry launched Thursday into the risks and benefits of AI.
“Tech companies have a fundamental responsibility to make sure their products are safe and secure and to protect people’s rights before they are implemented or made public,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters on a conference call before the conference. meeting.
Officials on the call cited a number of risks the public faces in the widespread adoption of AI tools, including the possible use of AI-created deepfakes and disinformation that could undermine the democratic process. Job losses related to increasing automation, skewed algorithmic decision-making, the physical dangers of autonomous vehicles, and the threat of malicious AI-powered hackers are also on the White House’s list of concerns.
While Thursday’s meeting was in progress, President Joe Biden stopped by for a surprise visit, a person familiar with the situation told CNN. A White House official said Biden has been extensively briefed on ChatGPT and has even tested it himself.
In a reading after the meeting, the White House said that Biden and Harris “were clear that to realize the benefits that could come from advances in AI, it is imperative to mitigate both current and potential risks and the AI poses to individuals, society, and national security”.
Biden “stressed that companies have a fundamental responsibility to make sure their products are safe and secure before they are distributed or made public,” according to the White House.
Harris, meanwhile, reminded companies that they have an “ethical, moral and legal responsibility to ensure the safety and security of their products” and will be held accountable under existing U.S. laws, according to a White House statement on the encounter.
Harris also teased the possibility of further future regulation of the rapidly changing industry.
“Government, private companies and others in society must address these challenges together,” Harris said in a statement. “President Biden and I are committed to doing our part, including by advancing potential new regulations and advocating for new laws so that everyone can safely benefit from technological innovations.”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described the conversation as “honest” and “frank.”
“We’ve had four CEOs here meet with the vice president and the president,” he said. “This shows how seriously we take it.”
Jean-Pierre said increased transparency from AI companies, including allowing the public to rate and rate their products, will be key to ensuring AI systems are safe and reliable.
One company that has invested heavily in artificial intelligence and was notably absent from Thursday’s meeting was Meta, the parent company of Facebook. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the development of AI as the company’s “largest single investment” and said the technology will be built into all of its products. But it currently does not offer a ChatGPT-like tool among its services.
An administration official told CNN on Thursday that Meta was not invited to the CEO summit. “He focused on companies currently leading the industry,” the official told CNN, “especially on the consumer-facing side of products.”
Meta declined to comment on the matter.
The meeting marked the latest example in which the federal government has acknowledged concerns about the rapid development and deployment of new AI tools and sought to find ways to address some of the risks.
Testifying before Congress, members of the Federal Trade Commission argued that artificial intelligence could “turbocharge” fraud and scams. Its president, Lina Khan, wrote in a New York Times op-ed this week that the US government has broad existing legal authority to regulate AI by leaning into its mandate to protect consumers and competition.
Last year, the Biden administration unveiled a proposal for an AI Bill of Rights that requires developers to abide by the principles of privacy, security, and equal rights as they create new AI tools.
Earlier this year, the Commerce Department released voluntary risk management guidelines for AI that it said could help organizations and businesses “govern, map, measure and manage” the potential dangers in each part of the development cycle. In April, the Department also said it is seeking public input on best policies for regulating AI, including through industry audits and self-regulation.
The US government is not alone in trying to shape the development of AI. European officials plan to draft AI legislation as early as this year that could have major implications for AI companies around the world.
— CNN’s Donald Judd, Arlette Saenz and Donie O’Sullivan contributed to this report.
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