Vice President Kamala Harris plans to announce a raft of additional measures on Wednesday to curb the risks of artificial intelligence as she prepares to attend a global summit in Britain where world and technology leaders will discuss the future of the technology discuss.
During her visit, which will begin on Wednesday with a policy address at the US Embassy in London, Ms Harris plans to outline the guardrails the US government will seek to put in place to manage the risks of AI as it defines itself as a global company profiles. leader in the arena.
Taken together, the steps Ms. Harris plans to announce are intended both to give substance to a sweeping executive order that President Biden signed this week and to make its ideals part of broader global standards for a technology that holds great promise and entails dangers.
They include a new draft policy from the Office of Management and Budget that would provide guidance on how federal agencies use artificial intelligence, which would be overseen by new chief AI officials. She will also announce that 30 other countries have joined a “political declaration” from the United States, which aims to establish a “set of standards for the responsible development, deployment and use of military AI capabilities”, as well as 200 million dollars in philanthropic funding to help support the administration’s goals.
“The urgency of this moment must compel us to create a collective vision of what this future must be,” Ms. Harris said Wednesday, according to prepared remarks released by her office.
The executive order that Mr. Biden signed on Monday marked the United States’ most concrete regulatory effort on AI to date. Among other things, it requires companies to report to the federal government on the risks that their systems could help countries or terrorists create weapons of mass destruction. It also seeks to reduce the dangers of “deep fakes” – AI-generated audio and video that can be difficult to distinguish from authentic footage – that could influence elections or defraud consumers.
“President Biden and I believe that all leaders, from government, civil society, and the private sector, have a moral, ethical, and societal obligation to ensure that AI is adopted and developed in a way that protects the public from potential harm and ensures that its benefits are enjoyed by all,” Ms Harris said in her comments.
On Thursday, Ms. Harris will represent the United States at a summit hosted by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that will feature technology figures such as Elon Musk and representatives from countries making progress in AI, such as China.
The United States has lagged behind countries like the European Union, China and Israel in regulating the technology, with Congress yet to pass major legislation on the subject and many of the provisions in Mr. Biden’s executive order largely unenforceable. But the government has secured deals from top companies, which have pledged to manage risks in the race to profit from the technology, and has created a “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights” that focuses on consumer protection.
Among the other announcements on Wednesday will be a “virtual hackathon,” in which the White House will invite teams of technology experts to build models that can intercept unwanted robocalls from fraudsters using AI-generated voices to target vulnerable populations such as the elderly.
Ms Harris’ message will place a clear emphasis on the consumer protection aspect of AI, including how it could worsen existing inequalities. Research has shown that AI programs can unintentionally produce biased results that are discriminatory based on race, gender or age.
Ms Harris plans to focus on a “full spectrum” of risks that have already emerged, such as bias, discrimination and the spread of disinformation, arguing that AI safety must be “based on the public interest”.
Ms Harris’ trip to Britain adds to her role as a diplomatic force for the government as she has now visited 20 countries and more than 100 foreign leaders since her election. It also adds to its growing portfolio, which includes some of the toughest issues facing the United States, such as the migration crisis at the southern border.
While in London, Ms Harris also plans to discuss the wars in Israel and Ukraine with Mr Sunak. She and her husband, Doug Emhoff, will also have a private dinner with Mr Sunak and his wife.
Cecilia Kang reporting contributed.