(Web Desk) - The White House on Monday issued a sweeping executive order to establish new rules and safeguards around artificial intelligence, an area of intense interest in Silicon Valley that has rapidly captured consumers’ attention too and billions in investment.
The over 100-page document impacts over a dozen federal agencies and hopes to force companies to build AI technology more safely, protect consumers from AI-propelled fraud and prohibit AI from being used to create biological weapons, among other things.
“President Biden is rolling out the strongest set of actions any government in the world has ever taken on AI safety, security and trust,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed said on a call with reporters.
“It’s the next step in an aggressive strategy to do everything on all fronts to harness the benefits of AI and mitigate the risks.”
The White House has been considering such an order for several months and is the most extensive action the U.S. has taken to rein in the flourishing industry since its boom began last year.
The order establishes a White House AI Council to coordinate the federal government’s AI activities and delegates enforcement to agencies like the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department, though given the wide range of actions proposed, it’s unclear which agency will ultimately enforce potential violations.
The order is “a good step, but the enforcement pieces are unclear,” said Hamid Ekbia, director of Syracuse University’s Autonomous Systems Policy Institute. "
While I am very glad that they are doing this, I'm not very hopeful that they are going to be able [to enforce it. The coordination is a big big challenge here."