US Vice President Kamala Harris announced a variety of latest policies regulating how federal agencies use AI of their operations.
The latest policies follow President Biden’s announcement of his Executive Order on AI in October last yr. The US government is making efforts to calm fears over how government agencies will use AI technologies, which many view with suspicion.
The policies drafted by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) require federal agencies to:
- Address risks from using AI
- Expand transparency of AI use
- Advance responsible AI innovation
- Grow the AI workforce
- Strengthen AI governance
Address risks
Federal agencies might want to discover and manage AI risks to make sure that using AI doesn’t impact the rights or safety of residents.
By 1 December 2024, all federal agencies can have to implement “concrete safeguards” that address potential risks like algorithmic discrimination and other impacts on society.
Giving people in an airport the flexibility to opt out from using TSA facial recognition, ensuring human oversight in healthcare, or detecting fraud in government services, will likely be mandatory when AI is used.
Agencies that are usually not capable of implement these safeguards can have to stop using the respective AI tool.
Expand transparency
The policy mandates that each one federal agencies publicly release a list of the AI tools they employ. They can have to discover use cases that impact rights or safety and the way they’re being addressed.
The draft guidance on how agencies will report on this excludes cases where AI is “used as a component of a National Security System or throughout the Intelligence Community.”
Even in these excluded cases, agencies might want to report on metrics of the AI systems they use, notify the general public of those exempted AI use cases, and justify why they’re exempted.
An interesting requirement is that federal agencies can have to “release government-owned AI code, models, and data, where such releases don’t pose a risk to the general public or government operations.”
Advance responsible AI innovation
The recent policies highlight the US government’s commitment to deploying AI technologies in a wide selection of applications.
The announcement said that the federal government would remove unnecessary barriers to permit easier deployment of AI in applications corresponding to addressing the climate crisis, natural disaster response, public healthcare, and public transport.
The OMB’s policies encourage “agencies to responsibly experiment with generative AI,” while following guidance on the best way to accomplish that safely.
Grow the AI workforce
By Summer 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration has committed to hiring 100 AI professionals as a part of its program to make sure the protected and trustworthy deployment of AI in federal agencies.
Big Tech AI corporations are engaged in a high-stakes battle for AI talent, and it seems the US government understands that it won’t be easy to draw and retain the appropriate people to fill those 100 spots.
It will likely be running a profession fair next month and has issued guidance on pay and leave flexibilities specifically for AI roles.
To attract staff to those roles, agencies can offer them upfront pay incentives, relocation incentives, flexible and distant working hours, and extra annual leave.
Strengthen AI governance
Federal agencies might want to designate Chief AI Officers to make sure accountability, leadership, and oversight of using AI of their operations.
“We have directed all federal agencies to designate a chief AI officer with the experience, expertise, and authority to oversee all — I’m going to emphasise that — all AI technologies utilized by that agency,” Harris said during her announcement on Wednesday.
They will even have to determine an AI Governance Board to coordinate and govern using AI across the agency.
OMB Director Shalanda Young said, “AI presents not only risks, but in addition tremendous opportunity to enhance public services and make progress on societal challenges like addressing climate change, improving public health and advancing equitable economic opportunity.”
The recent AI policies aim to assist federal agencies unlock that potential while protecting the rights and safety of the people the agencies serve.
