It’s AI Week for Joe Biden’s administration, which means yet another key area where US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo may be thrust into the spotlight.
The president issued a long-anticipated executive order on artificial intelligence this morning, creating the nation’s first set of regulations on the emerging technology. He is expected to deliver a speech on the order later today.
The sweeping set of regulations will touch multiple departments across the US government, but Raimondo’s Commerce Department will play a central role. Commerce is required to “develop guidance for content authentication and watermarking to clearly label AI-generated content.”
Commerce and the State Department are also expected to work together to establish international frameworks for harnessing AI’s benefits and managing its risks, according to a fact sheet published by the White House. Earlier this year, Raimondo and Secretary of State Antony Blinken penned an op-ed in The Financial Times on AI.
Biden’s executive order also requires AI developers to share safety test results with the US government before they make their systems available to the public. The government’s National Institute of Standards and Technology will develop standards to make AI safer for consumers and businesses.
There’s a lot more packed into the order, so you should read the entire fact sheet from the White House.
The announcement from Biden came in the same week that top administration officials – including Vice President Kamala Harris — are expected to attend the UK’s AI Safety Summit that begins Wednesday. It has been rumored that Raimondo will also be in attendance, but her office hasn’t yet confirmed the trip.
This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, data about the coronavirus in the state, and more. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.
Dan McGowan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @danmcgowan.