Vice President Kamala Harris is set to unveil a series of measures aimed at mitigating the risks associated with artificial intelligence. Her announcement will coincide with her participation in a global summit in the UK where leaders from around the world will discuss the future of AI.
During her visit, which commences with a policy address at the U.S. Embassy in London, Vice President Harris will outline the guardrails that the U.S. government intends to implement to manage the challenges presented by AI, as the nation asserts itself as a global leader in this domain.
These measures, which build upon a recent executive order signed by President Biden, aim to establish broader global standards for the responsible development and deployment of AI, which holds both great promise and potential peril.
Key elements of Vice President Harris’s announcement include:
A new draft policy from the Office of Management and Budget that will provide guidelines for federal agencies on the use of AI. This initiative will be overseen by new chief AI officers.
The announcement that 30 other nations have joined a “political declaration” created by the United States, with the goal of setting norms for the responsible development, deployment, and use of military AI capabilities.
$200 million in philanthropic funding to support the administration’s objectives in the field of AI.
In her remarks, Vice President Harris will emphasize the urgency of the current moment and the need for a collective vision of the future of AI. The executive order signed by President Biden is the United States’ most substantial regulatory effort in the AI arena to date, with requirements for companies to report potential risks associated with their AI systems. It also addresses concerns related to “deep fakes,” which are AI-generated audio and video that can be challenging to distinguish from authentic content and have the potential to influence elections and deceive consumers.
Vice President Harris is expected to emphasize the ethical and moral responsibility of leaders in government, civil society, and the private sector to ensure that AI is advanced and adopted in a way that safeguards the public from potential harm and ensures that its benefits are accessible to all.
Vice President Harris will also represent the United States in a summit organized by the UK’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, which will feature tech figures like Elon Musk and representatives from countries making significant strides in AI, such as China.
Although the United States has lagged behind regions like the European Union, China, and Israel in AI regulation, the Biden administration has secured commitments from leading companies to manage risks in their pursuit of AI technology and has proposed a “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights” with a focus on consumer protection.
In addition to these announcements, the White House will host a “virtual hackathon” where technology experts will collaborate to build models that can intercept robocalls generated by AI to target vulnerable populations.
Vice President Harris’s messaging will emphasize the importance of consumer protection in AI and highlight the potential for AI to exacerbate existing inequalities. Research has shown that AI systems can inadvertently produce biased outcomes based on factors such as race, gender, or age. She will underscore the “full spectrum” of risks already associated with AI, including bias, discrimination, and the spread of misinformation, and argue that AI safety should be based on the public interest.
This trip to the UK extends Vice President Harris’s role as a diplomatic force for the administration, and she has now visited 20 countries and engaged with over 100 foreign leaders since her election. It also adds to her growing portfolio, which includes some of the most challenging issues facing the United States, such as the migration crisis at the southern border.
While in London, Vice President Harris will also discuss the ongoing conflicts in Israel and Ukraine with Prime Minister Sunak and participate in a private dinner with him and his wife.
