Executives of OpenAI, Microsoft, Alphabet and Nvidia will join the Artificial Intelligence Security Board of the United States, a federal agency designed to advise the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on the safe implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the country’s critical infrastructure.
The entity is made up of artificial intelligence specialists from the private sector, academics and government officials. Its mission, according to The Wall Street Journal, is to “leverage AI expertise and infrastructure to “assess emerging risks related to the use of technology in critical national sectors and provide advice and recommendations to mitigate those dangers.” in areas such as the electrical grid, transportation and manufacturing.
Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the DHS, noted that although AI has enormous potential to improve the operation, performance and effectiveness of public services, its implementation carries significant risks that must be identified and contained in a timely manner. The actions and recommendations of the Artificial Intelligence Security Board will be the basis for establishing policies and mechanisms that contain possible threats.
President Joe Biden’s administration last year ordered the creation of the AI council through an executive order. Among other things, the decree enables the use of the Defense Production Law to demand from manufacturers of large AI models key information about the training processes of their systems.
The addition of Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai and Jensen Huang to the AI council has raised concerns about their business interests and how they may influence recommendations made to DHS. Regarding this, Mayorkas stated that the leaders “understand the mission of the board and are aware that it is not related to business development,” but rather it is “a matter of national security.”
Initiatives to regulate AI advance
So far, the United States Government has not been successful in its attempts to condition the advancement of AI. Meanwhile, the regulatory framework imposed by the European Union is considered one of the most solid projects so far.
This is a key technology that, according to Statista data, could exceed a market value of $300 billion by 2025.
Experts, for their part, have warned that the technology industry intends to establish regulations under its own standards. OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic have joined forces to launch the Frontier Model Forum, a panel focused on ensuring the safe and responsible development of artificial intelligence models. Big tech hopes to establish best practices and mechanisms that regulate the advancement of this technology.
