The White House announced Friday that it has hit the nine-month mark of its AI Executive Order (EO), and Federal agencies remain on track with their required directives – with two agencies reporting they are ahead of schedule.
The Biden administration released its long-awaited AI EO in October 2023, which focuses on seizing the promise and managing the risk of the emerging technology.
The AI EO built on the voluntary commitments the administration received from 15 AI companies last year – including tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. On Friday, the White House announced that Apple has signed the voluntary commitments, further cementing these commitments as cornerstones of responsible AI innovation.
Nearly a dozen agencies announced on July 26 that they completed 17 of the EO’s directives at the nine-month mark. Notably, the departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Education each completed one task more than three months ahead of schedule.
The VA hosted two nationwide AI tech sprint competitions and the Education Department released a guide for developers of education technologies on designing safe, secure, and trustworthy AI tools for use in education.
The fact sheet highlights four areas in which agencies are making progress in AI: managing risks to safety and security; bringing AI talent into government; advancing responsible AI innovation; and advancing U.S. leadership abroad.
In line with the EO’s 270-day directive, the White House National Security Council delivered to the president the first-ever National Security Memorandum on AI.
In an interview with MeriTalk in February, the Office of Management and Budget’s Director of AI, Conrad Stosz – who is now on detail to the National Institute of Standards and Technology as the director of policy for the new AI Safety Institute – previewed the National Security Memorandum.
He said the document will “direct risk management practices for national security use of AI that affect Americans’ rights and safety.”
Last month, Republicans adopted a new party platform ahead of a possible second term for former President Donald Trump, which vows to scrap the Biden administration’s AI EO.
“We will repeal Joe Biden’s dangerous Executive Order that hinders AI Innovation, and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology,” the platform reads.
Passing AI legislation remains the most promising pathway to put guardrails on the technology, but with more than 80 bills relating to AI in Congress and the election season quickly approaching, it seems less likely any will pass this session.
