White House Meets With AI Leaders in Attempt to ‘Protect Our Society ’

The Biden administration has restated its commitment to responsible artificial intelligence (AI) development following a meeting between Vice President Kamala Harris and CEOs of top companies involved in AI research and development. The recent surge in AI advancements, largely driven by the success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT program and subsequent developments, has prompted discussions on ethical and responsible AI development.

The White House has emphasized the importance of trustworthy and ethical innovation that mitigates risks and potential harms to individuals and society. The announcement also includes a $140 million investment by the National Science Foundation towards ethical AI research and development, infrastructure, and workforce diversity.

Several high-profile tech industry members have called for a pause on AI development, bringing the conversation around ethical and responsible development of AI into the mainstream. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will roll out draft policy guidance regarding the government’s own potential AI use ahead.

Even though AI development is decades old, the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November and its latest GPT-4 large language model in March have shifted the adoption of artificial intelligence into overdrive. This technology has the potential to reshape industries far and wide, and both corporations and governments are struggling to keep pace with it.

Last October, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy introduced an “AI Bill of Rights” blueprint with five guiding principles for automated systems’ design, use, and deployment. President Biden signed an executive order in February instructing federal agencies to eliminate bias and protect the public from algorithmic discrimination in new technologies, including AI.

During the recent meetings, the administration said that OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, Anthropic, Hugging Face, and Stability AI have committed to an independent public evaluation of AI systems during the annual hacker convention DEFCON’s AI Village in Las Vegas, Nevada in August. The independent evaluation will provide valuable insights into the models’ impacts, helping developers address issues.

Vice President Harris said that “advances in technology, including the challenges posed by AI, are complex. Government, private companies, and others must tackle these challenges together. President Biden and I are committed to doing our part—including by advancing potential new regulations and supporting new legislation—so that everyone can safely benefit from technological innovations.” The Biden administration’s commitment to responsible AI development will help ensure the technology is developed for the benefit of all.