The order also is expected to include provisions designed to ensure companies develop the technology safely
President Biden is expected to sign an order next week that, among other things, aims to establish guideposts for the use of AI by federal agencies. PHOTO: EVAN VUCCI/ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON—President Biden is expected to sign an executive order next week addressing rapid advances in artificial intelligence, laying the groundwork for Washington’s embrace of AI as a tool in the national security arsenal while also pressuring companies to develop the technology safely.
The order, which hasn’t been finalized and was described by people briefed on its expected contents, is aimed at establishing guideposts for federal agencies’ own use of AI, while also leveraging the government’s purchasing power to steer companies to what it considers best practices.
The White House began inviting people this week to an event on “safe, secure and trustworthy AI,” according to people familiar with the matter. A spokeswoman for the White House declined to comment.
The order comes as the administration seeks to maintain U.S. momentum on orderly development of AI in the face of growing fears over it, including its potential to displace workers or increase national security threats. Many of those worries have come from the tech industry itself, and top executives have urged government regulation.
One person briefed on the order said it is expected to use the National Institute of Standards and Technology to strengthen industry benchmarks around testing and evaluating AI systems. The administration also is expected to use the order to tighten and formalize the government’s oversight of AI commitments that major U.S. tech companies made in July, particularly around national security, though some observers question the extent of the government’s enforcement powers absent new authority from Congress.
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The order is “a realistic recognition that AI is here, holds many promises and risks, and will require deliberate actions to realize the former and address the latter,” said Klon Kitchen, managing director at Beacon Global Strategies, a strategic advisory firm.
