The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will share its recommendations on artificial intelligence (AI) accountability policy “soon,” NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said in a 2023 year-in-review blog post.
“While artificial intelligence systems have been around for a while, I think it’s safe to say 2023 was the year they fully captured the public’s imagination,” Davidson wrote. “And rightly so: Responsible AI innovation can – and will – bring enormous benefits to people. But we will only realize the promise of AI if we also address the serious risks it raises today.”
He continued, “I’m proud to say that NTIA has been on the forefront of federal AI policy work to maximize those benefits while mitigating the risks.”
In April, NTIA launched an inquiry into AI Accountability Policy to ensure there is a policy ecosystem in place to verify that AI systems work as they claim to, and without causing harm, the agency said.
The public comment period ended in June, receiving more than 1,400 comments in response to its inquiry on the subject. Davidson said NTIA will share recommendations “soon.”
Additionally, the NTIA head noted that in 2023 the agency was engaged in developing recommendations on “AI openness — in particular, the benefits and risks posed by widely available model weights,” at the direction of President Biden’s executive order on AI.
“We kicked off public engagement with this work at an event in December, and look forward to learning more from stakeholders as we seek policies that both promote safety and allow for broad access to AI tools,” Davidson wrote. “Our recommendations are due by the end of July 2024.”
Davidson’s year-in-review blog post also shared updates on NTIA’s mission to close the digital divide in 2023, noting that the agency has allocated $42.45 billion in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program to 56 states and territories; awarded $980 million in grants across 40 states and territories from the Middle Mile program; and made over $1.86 billion in awards to support network deployment and devices and digital skills training for 226 Tribal entities through our Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program.
Finally, Davidson highlighted that NTIA made huge strides in spurring U.S. wireless innovation and leadership with the White House release of the National Spectrum Strategy.
NTIA is also catalyzing the development of new open and interoperable wireless networks through the Wireless Innovation Fund. This $1.5 billion program aims to help accelerate the shift from closed, proprietary network equipment to open and interoperable equipment, boosting competition and supply chain resiliency, and lowering costs.
Davidson said NTIA awarded $18 million in grants from this fund in 2023, “with much more to come in 2024.”
