Biden Signs Executive Order Addressing AI

President Joe Biden issued an executive order (EO) on Oct. 30, 2023, to establish standards for artificial intelligence (AI) safety and security, protect privacy, advance equity and civil rights, and advocate for consumers and workers. It also seeks to promote innovation and competition and advance American leadership around the world while ensuring responsible and effective government use of AI. 

The executive order builds on previous actions to drive safe, secure and trustworthy development of AI.

Directed Actions

The EO seeks to build on the voluntary commitments of 15 leading companies by:

• Requiring developers of the most powerful AI to share their safety test results and other critical information with the U.S. government
• Developing standards, tools and tests regarding AI’s safety, security and trustworthiness
• Protecting against the risks of using AI to engineer dangerous biological materials
• Protecting against AI-enabled fraud and deception by establishing standards and best practices for detecting AI-generated content and authenticating official content
• Establishing an advanced cybersecurity program to find and fix critical software vulnerabilities
• Ordering the development of a National Security Memorandum on AI use and security

The EO also seeks to address privacy concerns by calling for the passage of bipartisan data privacy

legislation and directs actions to prioritize federal support for accelerating the development and use of privacy-preserving techniques. It calls for action to strengthen privacy-preserving research/technologies and privacy guidance for federal agencies, develop guidelines for federal agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of privacy-preserving techniques, and evaluate how agencies collect and use commercially available information.

To advance equity and civil rights, the EO directs actions to provide clear guidance to landlords, federal benefits programs and federal contractors; address algorithmic discrimination; and ensure fairness in the criminal justice system. In support of workers’ rights, the EO calls for actions to develop principles and best practices, produce a report on AI’s potential impacts on the labor market, and study and identify options for strengthening federal support for workers facing labor disruptions.

In the pursuit of innovation and competition and advancement of American leadership, the EO directs action to catalyze AI research; promote a fair, open and competitive AI ecosystem; and expand the ability of highly skilled immigrants with expertise in critical areas to study, stay and work in the United States through existing authorities. The EO directs action to expand bilateral, multilateral and multistakeholder engagements to collaborate on AI; accelerate the development/implementation of vital AI standards; and promote the safe, responsible and rights-affirming development and deployment of AI abroad.

To ensure responsible and effective government AI use, the EO directs action to issue guidance for agencies’ use of AI, help agencies acquire specified AI products and services, and accelerate the rapid hiring of AI professionals. The White House states the administration will work with allies and partners to govern the development and utilization of AI.