The US needs to ‘get it right’ in artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence has been a hot topic in Washington.

Most lawmakers agree that it poses significant dangers if left unregulated, but there remains a lack of consensus on how to address these concerns. But speaking in a TIME100 Talks conversation on Friday ahead of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a panel of experts with experience in government, national security and social justice expressed optimism that the US government will finally “get it right” so that society can reap the benefits of AI while protecting against potential dangers.

“We can’t afford to get it wrong — again,” Shalanda Young, director of the Biden administration’s Office of Management and Budget, told TIME’s senior White House correspondent Brian Bennett. “The government was already behind the technological boom. Can you imagine if the government was a user of AI and we got this wrong?”

See more information: A call to embrace AI — but with a “human touch”

Panelists agreed that government action is needed to ensure the U.S. remains at the forefront of safe AI innovation. But the rapidly evolving field has raised a number of concerns that cannot be ignored, they noted, ranging from civil rights to national security. “The code is starting to write the code and that’s going to make people very uncomfortable, especially vulnerable communities,” says Van Jones, a CNN host and social entrepreneur who founded Dream Machine, a nonprofit that combats overcrowded prisons and poverty. . “If you get biased data, you get biased decision-making through disclosed algorithms. That’s the big fear.”

The U.S. government may not have the best track record of keeping up with emerging technologies, but as AI becomes increasingly ubiquitous, Young says there is growing recognition among policymakers of the need to prioritize understanding, regulating and to the ethical governance of AI.

Michael Allen, managing director of Beacon Global Strategies and former director of President George W. Bush’s National Security Council, suggested that to address the lack of trust about the use of artificial intelligence, the government needs to ensure that humans are at the forefront of every decision-making process involving technology – especially when it comes to national security. “Having a human on the inside will make more sense,” he says.

Asked how Republicans and Democrats in Washington can talk to each other about dealing with the problems and opportunities that AI presents, Young says there has already been a bipartisan shift around science and technology policy in recent years — since President Biden’s signature. , CHIPS and Science Act, to funding for the National Science Foundation. The common theme behind the resurgence of this bipartisan support, she says, is a strong anti-China movement in Congress.

“There is a huge focus on China in the US Congress,” says Young. “But you can’t focus on China and talk only about the military. You have to talk about our economic and scientific competition aspects. These things created an environment that gave us an opportunity for bipartisanship.”

Allen noted that in this era of geopolitical competition with China, the US government needs to be at the forefront of artificial intelligence. He compared the current moment to the Nuclear Age, when the US government funded atomic research. “Here, in this new atmosphere, it is the private sector that is the main driver of all innovative technologies,” says Allen. “The conventional wisdom is that the US is in the lead, we are still ahead of China. But I think this is something that as you start to contemplate regulation, how can we ensure that the United States remains at the forefront of artificial intelligence, because our adversaries are going to make great strides in this field.”

Congress has yet to pass any major AI legislation, but that hasn’t stopped the White House from taking action. President Joe Biden signed an executive order to set guidelines for technology companies that train and test AI models, and also directed government agencies to screen future AI products for potential national security risks. Asked how quickly Americans can expect more barriers to AI, Young noted that some in Congress are pushing to establish a new independent federal agency that can help inform policymakers about AI without a political lens, offering help on solutions. legislative.

“If we don’t get it right,” says Young, “how can we maintain trust in government?”

TIME100 Talks: Responsible AI: Shaping and Safeguarding the Future of Innovation were presented by Booking.com.