AI, ML, Government & Legislative Actions
AI, ML, Government & Legislative Actions
Since 1950s research, investment and interest in Artificial Intelligence has tremendously increased and AI has become a critical element of business and their digital transformation.
By Farhad Mehraban
Innovations can be found in a range of areas such as smart appliances & devices, autonomous vehicles and robotics all by contributions of thriving AI research. With the emergence of Digital Economy, governments and organizations move to utilize AI in the business mainstream and have established teams to design and implement, strategies to apply AI in all levels of the organizational structure.
In the last decade, the broader field of artificial intelligence has made extraordinary developments. We have seen AI beat the world’s best players of “Jeopardy” and the ancient board game Go, identify unknown genes and power driverless cars. These achievements have been enabled by better algorithms, more powerful computers and ever-bigger data sets. Large investment banks have hired AI Specialties creating AI Team/Divisions requiring the formation of an AI Task Force for the House Financial Services Committee addressing concerns of Data Privacy.
Many companies are utilizing AI and Machine Learning to advance their analytic practices, which uses a collection of algorithms trained on data sets to identify patterns in data and learn from them to make predictions. The business value of AI technology and the level of ethical responsibility accompanying this technology by organizations, fluctuate immensely.
The ethical guidelines that should be followed and also the legislative steps needed to ensure the security of the Data and the integrity of the provided datasets will require the participation of all stakeholders.
Here are some Legislative actions that have been introduced but not all have become law.
AI in Government Act (H.R. 2575)
Establishes an AI Center of excellence within the General Services Administration (GSA) to improve the federal government’s capability to adopt and implement AI, by providing advice about AI acquisition and use, studying the economic, policy, legal, and ethical challenges and implications of the government’s use of AI, and encouraging joint initiatives with state and local governments, industry, and other stakeholders.
Algorithmic Accountability Act (S. 1108 / H.R. 2231)
Requires large companies that retain or control large amounts of personal data to conduct impact assessments about existing and new automated AI algorithms that pretense a high risk of making partial, biased, and/or discriminatory decisions impacting individuals, as well as of impacting privacy or security of the given data. Directs companies to address the risks discovered and encourages, but does not require, companies to make their impact assessments report public.
National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Act (H.R. 5356 / S. 2806)
This bill was incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal year 2019 (H.R. 5515) and signed into law and established the independent National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence in the executive branch to conduct a review of developments in AI and the approaches necessary to advance AI for national security needs. This review shall consider U.S. competitiveness in AI, trends in international cooperation, investment in AI, workforce incentives to attract AI talent, risks of foreign advances in AI, ethical considerations and to establish data standards and foster the sharing of training data, privacy- and security- protecting data sets.
Directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to conduct a study of the use of smart technology, including automation and artificial intelligence, on military installations to improve military readiness and service delivery, enhance physical security and cyber security, and increase efficiency. Directs the DOD to report the findings of this study, along with any recommendations, to Congress.
Artificial Intelligence Reporting (AIR) Act (H.R. 6090)
Directs the National Science and Technology Council’s Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence subcommittee to submit a report to Congress detailing a strategic plan for AI R&D, the federal government’s use of AI applications, and the federal government’s efforts to enhance federal R&D activities by embracing workforce diversity.
Artificial Intelligence Initiative (AI-IA) Act (S. 1558)
Established a National AI Coordination Office, an AI Interagency Committee, and an AI Advisory Committee or non-government experts to develop a National Strategic Plan for AI R&D. Provides $40 million in annual funding and directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to identify metrics that can be used to evaluate AI algorithms and training data sets. Requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop educational goals for addressing issues related to AI, such as algorithmic accountability and ethical implications, including by providing $500 million to establish five Multidisciplinary Centers for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education. Provides $1.5 billion in funding and requires the Department of Energy to create an AI research program and establish five Artificial Intelligence Research Centers. The AI-IA Act is a companion bill to the GrAITR Act (H.R. 2202).
Growing Artificial Intelligence Through Research (GrAITR) Act (H.R. 2202)
Directs the President to establish a “National Artificial Intelligence Initiative” to coordinate federal AI R&D activities to accelerate the development of the technology. These activities include developing an AI workforce pipeline by expanding the number of researchers, educators, and students focusing on AI; identifying and minimizing “inappropriate” bias in AI and underlying datasets; and supporting efforts to establish metrics to evaluate AI safety, security, and reliability.
Above are just some & not all of the actions that have been taken to create a regulatory framework for AI and the ever-evolving industry.
Question remains; Are the current courses of action adequate?
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