AI 'Must be Governed,' Biden Says While Announcing New Safety Measures

Two days before Vice President Kamala Harris is set to participate in the world's first global summit on artificial intelligence (AI) safety, President Joe Biden signed an executive order that he described as the "most significant action any government anywhere in the world has ever taken on AI safety, security and trust."

Biden officially introduced the executive order Monday afternoon at the White House. In remarks he delivered before signing the order, Biden described AI as the "most consequential technology of our time" and predicted the world will see more advances in technological innovation over the next decade than it has in the last 50 years.

"One thing is clear: To realize the promise of AI and avoid the risks, we need to govern this technology," Biden said. "And there's no other way around it, in my view. It must be governed."

Computer scientists, academics and politicians alike have raised concerns about AI several times over the last year as public awareness and discussion surrounding AI increased. Experts say AI could benefit health care and drug discovery, but they've warned the full extent of the risks AI poses is unknown.

As progress on AI development speeds along, one computer scientist who is known as the "Godfather of AI" and is expected to attend the coming safety summit has said it's possible AI could one day "take over" for humans. But other experts are worried that "doomsday" warnings distract from the immediate risks AI poses, such as the spread of misinformation, according to The Guardian.

Amid growing concerns about AI, four major technology companies announced last week a $10 million funding initiative that they said will support AI safety research. Days later, the United Nations announced the launch of a new AI Advisory Body to urge international collaboration on AI safety and development moving forward.

Newsweek reached out to the United Nations AI Advisory Body by email on Monday for comment.

Over the summer, the White House said it reached agreements with several major technology companies to begin advancing "toward safe, secure and transparent" AI development. Biden said Monday that his administration built on its earlier work with technology leaders to create the new executive order.

Biden outlined several guideposts for AI in his executive order, which include requirements that companies involved in AI development share the data on any safety tests they conduct with the U.S. government. The order also includes protections against AI that could be used for fraud and creating biological materials. The Energy, Defense and Homeland Security departments will help assess developing AI in efforts to prevent new AI systems from posing national security threats, the president said.

Harris, while at the executive order signing ceremony, said that she will travel to the U.K. on Tuesday so she can participate in the two-day AI Safety Summit that U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is hosting. The summit begins Wednesday at England's Bletchley Park. Guests are expected to discuss AI's potential risks and benefits, with a focus on frontier AI.