The Biden Administration issued an executive order yesterday encompassing its most comprehensive federal guidelines around AI to date.
The actions laid out in the EO are important steps in the U.S.’ development and use of AI – and the most notable to date by the Biden administration. But much of the impact will ultimately depend upon how agencies implement the directives and how and whether Congress chooses to authorize and fund them.
For example, the EO calls on the FTC to step up its role as the watchdog on consumer protection and antitrust violations. But the White House does not have authority to direct the FTC, an independent agency, to create regulations.
The order also includes directives to stand up task forces to tackle certain issues like boosting the federal AI workforce and planning for responsible AI deployment in healthcare, which will require funding from Congress. In many cases, stronger enforcement action is also not possible without new authority from Congress.
The EO calls on Congress to pass bipartisan data privacy legislation. But some conservative lawmakers have also already raised concerns the EO will create undo regulatory burdens on companies and hurt innovation and American leadership in AI innovation.
Next up is the UK’s global AI Safety Summit, which will host world leaders including Vice President Kamala Harris, experts and leading technology companies. The UK government has said the aim for the event is to facilitate a global conversation on AI and encourage a global coordinated approach to AI safety.