Biden signs executive order to regulate generative AI

After months of speculation about how the United States would approach the regulation of generative artificial intelligence, President Joe Biden revealed a comprehensive executive order aimed at AI on Monday. The order, which CNBC pointed out is "the U.S. government’s first action of its kind," requires "new safety assessments, equity and civil rights guidance and research on AI's impact on the labor market." 

The order outlines eight key goals, per The Verge: to create new standards for AI safety and security; protect privacy; advance equity and civil rights; prioritize consumers, patients, and students; support workers; promote innovation and competition; advance U.S. leadership in AI technologies; and ensure the responsible and effective government use of the technology.

Under the order, several federal agencies will be tasked with creating safety standards for developing AI, establishing best practices for authentication, and building cybersecurity programs. The National Institute of Standards and Technology will work on developing standards for AI "red-teaming," or stress testing the systems' defenses. The Department of Commerce will be in charge of establishing standards for watermarking AI-generated content.

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Biden's executive order represents "the strongest set of actions any government in the world has ever taken on AI safety, security, and trust," White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed said in a statement. The order comes after 15 tech companies, including Meta, Google, OpenAI, Nvidia, and Adobe, voluntarily committed to allow outside testing of their AI products before they're released to the public, CNN noted. It also comes right before Vice President Kamala Harris joins an AI safety summit hosted by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the United Kingdom.