Joe Biden Will Issue Executive Orders To Regulate AI For Consumer Security And Protection

US President Joe Biden will take broader action regarding artificial intelligence (AI) (photo: twitter @poyus)

The US president, Joe Biden, will take broader action regarding artificial intelligence (AI) on Monday, October 30 with efforts to increase security while protecting consumers, workers, and minority groups from risks related to the technology.

The executive order requires developers of AI systems that pose risks to US national security, economy, health, or public safety to share security test results with the US government. This is in accordance with the Defense Production Act, before it is released to the public.

The law also directs agencies to set standards for testing and address chemical, biological, radiology, nuclear, and cybersecurity risks, in accordance with a notification from the White House.

This order is the latest step from the US administration to set parameters around AI in line with its rapidly growing capabilities and popularity in environments that have little regulation. This triggers a varied response from the private sector.

IBM said in a statement that the order "sends an important message: that the AI used by the US government will be the AI responsible."

NetChoice, a national trade association that includes a major technology platform, describes the executive's order as "The AI Red Band's List of Desires," which will ultimately "prevent new companies and competitors from entering the market and significantly expand the federal government's power over American innovation."

The new executive order, to be unveiled at an event on Monday afternoon, goes beyond the voluntary commitments previously made this year by AI companies such as OpenAI, Alphabet, and Meta Platforms pledging to sign the water content generated by AI to make this technology safer.

As part of the order, the Commerce Department will "develop guidelines for content authentication and tagging" to mark items generated by AI, to ensure government communications remain clear, the White House said in a statement.

Deputy White House Chief of Staff, Bruce Reed, called the order, which also discusses privacy, housing discrimination and work evictions, as "the strongest set of actions" ever taken by the government to ensure AI security.

"This is the next step in an aggressive strategy to do everything in all fields in order to take advantage of the benefits of AI and address its risks," he said in a statement.

The group of seven industrial countries, the G7, on Monday also approved a code of ethics for companies developing advanced artificial intelligence systems, in accordance with G7 documents.

A senior government official, while giving an explanation to reporters ahead of the official disclosure of the order, responded to criticism that Europe had been more aggressive in regulating AI than the US.

The official said the executive's order had legal force, and the White House believed that legislative action from Congress was also needed for AI governance.

Biden in particular summoned Congress to impose legislation on data privacy, the White House said.

US officials have warned that AI could increase the risk of bias and human rights abuses, and Biden's executive order aims to address this by asking home owners, federal benefit programs, and federal contractors "to prevent AI algorithms from being used to exacerbate discrimination," the statement read.

The order also calls for the development of "best practices" to address the impact AI may have on workers, including work evictions, and requires reports on the impact of the labor market.

Vice President Kamala Harris will attend a global AI summit in the UK this week; China is also expected to be represented at the meeting, held by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Sunak said only the government could overcome the risks posed by AI, the technology it said could facilitate the manufacture of chemical weapons or biology, spread fear, and in the worst-case scenario, escape human control.