The U.S. Department of Commerce is celebrating significant progress toward several AI goals. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo marked the anniversary by highlighting the Department’s achievements in implementing the order’s directives, just ahead of the first International Network of AI Safety Institutes conference.
Since a presidential executive order was signed in October 2023, the Commerce Department has launched the U.S. AI Safety Institute (U.S. AISI), a national body dedicated to AI testing and safety. The institute is tasked with driving collaboration across sectors, including partnerships with AI developers and national security agencies. To date, U.S. AISI has formed a consortium of approximately 280 members and conducted pre-deployment testing for new AI models.
The release of a National Security Memorandum (NSM) on AI last week further underscored the administration’s commitment to integrating AI into national security. This memorandum designates the U.S. AI Safety Institute, based within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), as the core agency for AI model testing, ensuring collaboration with national security and intelligence agencies to advance responsible AI adoption.
The executive order has spurred the Commerce Department to implement a series of critical actions, including the following highlights:
- AI Safety Testing and Evaluation: The U.S. AISI initiated safety testing agreements with leading AI companies, supporting pre-deployment evaluations of major AI models.
- Regulatory Oversight: The Commerce Department proposed a rule mandating AI developers to report safety test results and other critical information quarterly, using the Defense Production Act to enforce these standards.
- Transparency and Content Labeling: The Department submitted a comprehensive report to the White House detailing methods for labeling AI-generated content and improving transparency, including NIST’s challenge to develop new techniques for detecting AI-driven content.
- Guidance on Dual-Use Foundation Models: Commerce released an extensive report on the benefits and risks associated with dual-use AI models, including policy recommendations. This report was shaped by feedback from hundreds of stakeholders.
- International Collaboration: Secretary Raimondo and Vice President Harris unveiled U.S.-led initiatives to promote AI safety at international events, including the 2023 UK AI Safety Summit. The administration plans to launch a global network of AI Safety Institutes, set to meet for the first time in San Francisco this November, to harmonize safety standards and policies globally.
- Intellectual Property Guidance: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published guidelines on AI-assisted inventions and AI technology’s role in patent applications, ensuring that the evolving field aligns with intellectual property laws.
- Support for Sustainable Semiconductor Research: A $100 million competition was launched to drive AI-enabled research for developing sustainable semiconductor materials and processes.
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