President Biden has recently made a bold move to ensure that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used safely and responsibly. He issued an executive order that sets up new safety and security standards for AI, making it clear that while AI has a lot of potential, it’s important to keep the risks in check.

The executive order lays out some serious steps to amp up the safety and security around AI. One of the major points is that if you’re developing a powerful AI system, you now have to share your safety test results and other important info with the U.S. government, especially if your AI model could be a risk to national security, the economy, or public health​¹​. Basically, this means that AI systems need to go through some rigorous testing to make sure they are safe, secure, and can be trusted before they hit the public domain.

Also, the order is all about setting up standard safety testing protocols and developing tools and tests to check the safety and trustworthiness of AI systems. It even touches on limiting the use of AI in creating dangerous biological materials​¹​. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will be leading the charge on setting up strict standards for testing AI systems to make sure they’re safe before they’re released to the public. And the Department of Homeland Security will be applying these standards to critical areas, making a big leap in the field of AI safety.

On top of safety and security, the executive order is big on privacy too. It pushes for faster development of techniques and tools that preserve privacy, especially when it comes to the data used for training AI systems​¹​. It even calls on Congress to pass data privacy laws to give privacy protection an extra layer of armor, especially for kids.

Moreover, the order addresses the shady side of AI, like AI-enabled fraud and fake content. It wants to set up standards and best practices to spot AI-generated content and make sure official content is authenticated. The idea is to develop guidelines for labeling AI-generated content clearly, so people can easily tell if a message from the government is real or fake, setting a global example in fighting against AI-driven misinformation.

All in all, this executive order is a big deal. It takes a well-rounded approach to AI governance, covering safety, security, privacy, and ethics. It not only sets up a strong regulatory framework but also puts the U.S. in a leading position in setting global standards for AI safety and security. This way, we can make the most out of AI’s benefits while keeping the risks under control.