America’s AI Action Plan is out, and it has three pillars: innovation,infrastructure, and international diplomacy and security.
This is different from the (now rescinded) AI Blueprint Executive Order issued by President Joe Biden. It lays out specific action items for the many federal agencies that are meant to effectuate each pillar.
Of note to the data protection/AI community: While deregulation and the repeal of regulations deemed to be inhibiting AI is a top priority, so are: protection from algorithmic bias; information security in AI; AI incident response and protection of free speech; and reviews of AI for compliance with existing laws.
The AI moratorium also could potentially make a comeback. Per the plan, the federal government could withhold discretionary funding from states who onerously regulate AI.
What you need to know:
Pillar 1: Innovation: Remove red tape and onerous regulation
- Dismantle unnecessary regulatory barriers that hinder the private sector.
- Remove federal regulations and memoranda that hinder AI.
- Federal agencies are encouraged to consider a state’s AI regulatory climate when making funding decisions and limit AI discretionary funding if the state’s AI regulatory regimes may hinder the effectiveness of that funding.
- Review all FTC investigations commenced under the previous administration to ensure that they do not advance theories of liability that unduly burden AI innovation. Review all FTC final orders, consent decrees, and injunctions, and, where appropriate, seek to modify or set-aside any that unduly burden AI innovation.
- Ensure that AI systems are built from the ground up with freedom of speech and expression in mind, and that U.S. government policy does not interfere with that objective.
- Encourage Open-Source and Open-Weight AI.
- Establish regulatory sandboxes or AI Centers of Excellence around the country.
- Advance a priority set of actions to expand AI literacy and skills development, continuously evaluate AI’s impact on the labor market, and pilot new innovations to rapidly retrain and help workers thrive in an AI-driven economy.
- Publish guidelines and resources for federal agencies to conduct their own evaluations of AI systems for compliance with existing law.
- AI systems must be free from ideological bias and be designed to pursue objective truth rather than social engineering agendas when users seek factual information or analysis.
Pillar 2: Infrastructure: “Build baby, build!”
- Build and maintain vast AI infrastructure and the energy to power it.
- Focus on information security in AI and AI Incident response.
Pillar 3: International Diplomacy and Security
- Establish American AI as the gold standard for AI worldwide and ensure our allies are building on American technology.
- Vigorously advocate for international AI governance approaches that promote innovation, reflect American values and counter authoritarian influence.
Read the full plan here.
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