A bipartisan pair of lawmakers – Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho – have sent queries to three Federal agencies asking for clarification on how these agencies are implementing best practices to safely utilize artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
The Nov. 8 letters to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Broder Protection (CBP), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ask agency heads to provide information on their practices for “responsible AI.”
“Without proper guardrails, CBP’s use of AI could result in trade facilitation and enforcement systems that are ultimately less effective,” the senators said. “For example, the leak of sensitive business data through a breach of one of CBP’s AI vendors could create serious competition and intellectual property problems for companies across the board,” they said.
In the letter sent to DHS and its CBP component, the senators ask the agencies to respond by Dec. 8 and to “describe the specific AI systems or tools utilized by CBP within the past three years and those that are being considered for future use,” as well as provide an organizational chart “of where and how CBP’s AI technologies management fits into the Agency.”
“As is frequently the case with new technology, AI provides us with exciting opportunities to better serve the American people, but we’re only beginning to see the consequences of leaving these systems unchecked,” stated Sen. Wyden. “The Federal government has a responsibility to ensure the systems it is using to make decisions that impact Americans’ daily lives are doing so accurately and without harmful bias.”
In their letter sent to HHS, the senators are asking for more information on how clinical data is being protected at the agency. “What steps has the [HHS] taken to ensure that child welfare agencies are promoting the ethical and responsible use of predictive algorithms and AI tools in their decision- making processes,” the senators also asked.
“As technological innovations such as AI are used more frequently by government agencies, it is important for us to gain a better understanding of AI applications within the Finance Committee’s jurisdiction,” said Sen Crapo.
