CNN
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In early April, President Joe Biden gathered in the Oval Office with several top advisers, and aides sent ChatGPT a prompt to “summarize the Supreme Court’s New Jersey v. Delaware ruling and turn it into a Bruce Springsteen song.” I input it.
A few weeks ago, Biden joked to Springsteen at the National Medal of Arts ceremony that the lawsuit, which revolves around the rights of the Delaware River, would give his home state a claim against The Boss. was flying Now, right in front of the president, an AI chatbot began composing Springsteen-esque lyrics.
Like many Americans who toyed with ChatGPT, the president was amazed.
By the end of the conference, which also focused on cybersecurity and the impact of AI on jobs, he was surrounded by entourages including Chief of Staff Jeff Zientz, Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed, and top scientific advisor Dr. Arathi Prabakar. reminded me of the following: What has already become clear within the West Wing for the past few weeks is that AI is a top priority.
A few weeks earlier, as the ChatGPT explosion put artificial intelligence into the public consciousness, and while AI industry leaders touted its revolutionary potential, they also warned of the “risk of AI extinction.” Hearings were held at the Houses of Parliament.
At the White House, growing interest in ChatGPT has moved AI from a supporting role to a central priority.
That urgency is welcomed in AI policy circles. Several officials who have advised the White House on AI policy are concerned that while the White House laid an important foundation on its AI Bill of Rights blueprint last year, the administration is not paying enough attention to AI policy. said that The same people say it’s clear the White House has shifted into a higher gear to respond to this moment.
“Had we had this conversation six months ago, my reaction would have been very different today,” said a member of the National AI Advisory Board. pointed out that
Led by the Office of the White House Chief of Staff, senior government officials have been meeting two to three times a week since early this spring to advance AI policy work, covering a wide range of topics, from misinformation and cybersecurity to economic transformation and equity. I’m working on AI in that direction. AI is also a consistent topic in the strategy sessions held by Biden’s top advisers every Saturday.
After stopping by a major AI CEO conference at the White House last month, Biden will meet with a group of AI experts and academics in San Francisco on Tuesday to get outside-industry perspectives on AI risks and opportunities. bottom.
“I want to hear directly from the experts. They are the world’s leading experts on this subject,” Mr. Biden said, adding that he wanted to hear about the “risks” and “promises” of artificial intelligence. He added that Vice President Kamala Harris will host a summit next month on artificial intelligence with a focus on consumer protection.
Officials are working to maximize the effectiveness of existing regulations on AI, capitalize on its potential, and establish new guardrails for the burgeoning and multifaceted technology, including several executive orders to be issued this summer. He said he is speeding up laying the groundwork for such policy measures.
“This is not an area that can be policed or regulated for years. Time has to be measured in weeks,” Zientz told CNN. “Speed is of the essence here. Every lever must be pulled to maximize positive impact while minimizing any unintended consequences.”
Officials are especially mindful of Washington’s poor track record of quickly tackling major technological changes, and its failure to regulate social media early has emerged as a particularly big problem. This time, most of the big AI companies have called on the Washington government to regulate the industry, albeit with different proposals and motivations, and several legislative efforts are already underway.
Government officials acknowledge that legislation is needed to address some new aspects and issues arising from AI, including core technologies, but at the same time they can begin shaping the regulatory framework through administrative action. , I also think that I must do so.
Government officials say some of the challenges authorities have already undertaken include creating an extensive inventory of government regulations applicable to AI and identifying where new regulations need to be written to fill gaps. is included.
By next month, major AI companies such as Google, Microsoft and OpenAI are expected to announce privacy and security initiatives developed in partnership with the White House, according to senior government officials, and the federal government will “ensure the survival of the companies.” We will adopt appropriate methods to ensure that.” Up to these promises. ”
This summer, the Office of Management and Budget will use the federal government’s position as a major customer to shape the industry to release much-needed guidance for federal agencies on the use and procurement of AI technology.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his team are also working with the G7 to develop policies to address AI-related cybersecurity risks and establish international norms on AI.
Officials declined to elaborate on other upcoming executive orders, but said they expected additional steps to be taken over the summer.
“This is a very urgent matter,” Prabhakar said in an interview. “Very active, very focused. People are moving faster than normal.”
Several people familiar with White House work are also steeped in tech and credit Zients, whose arrival in February coincided with the ChatGPT explosion, in helping strengthen the White House. A senior administration official called him a “facilitator” of the effort.
What is clear is that White House officials aren’t starting from scratch, but building on the blueprint of the 73-page AI Bill of Rights released in October. Officials call it the cornerstone of the administration’s approach to AI policy. Officials are also relying on a risk management framework released earlier this year by the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology.
This year, Mr. Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to eradicate prejudice against artificial technology used by the federal government and to combat algorithmic discrimination, and the administration committed $140 million to launch a new AI research institute. announced that it would spend $
“What the Chat GPT has done is … democratize fear and make it more visible and widespread in a way that is recognized by those who have paid attention to it but not by the general public. I think,” said Suresh Venkatasbramanian. He is an AI researcher at Brown University and worked in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy until last summer. “Since that happened … I think everyone in Congress and the White House have seriously considered this.”
That concern was directly addressed by Mr. Biden, who told AI leaders who met with Mr. Harris and White House officials last month, “What you’re doing has huge potential and huge danger. I have,” he said.
“I don’t think there has ever been a more fundamental and potential technological change in the history of human endeavor than that brought about by artificial intelligence,” Mr. Biden said at a press conference earlier this month. “It’s amazing. It’s amazing.”
