The United States on Thursday, October 24, unveiled a blueprint for addressing national security concerns related to artificial intelligence, a year after US President Joe Biden signed an executive order regulating the technology.
The National Security Memorandum (NSM) aims to strike a balance between using the technology to counter the military use of AI by adversaries such as China and creating effective security measures that maintain public confidence, officials said, according to Agence France-Presse.
"There are very clear national applications of artificial intelligence, including areas such as cybersecurity and counterintelligence, — a senior Biden administration official told reporters. – Countries like China see similar opportunities to modernize and revolutionize their military and intelligence capabilities. It is especially important that we accelerate the use of advanced AI capabilities in our national security structures to maintain our competitive advantage."
Biden directed the National Security Council and the White House chief of staff to develop the memorandum last October.
The order came alongside an executive order on AI regulation that emphasized that the United States should “lead” global efforts to manage risks from the technology.
The order, which the White House called a “major milestone,” required federal agencies to set new safety standards for AI systems and required developers to share safety test results and other important information with the U.S. government.
U.S. officials expect rapidly advancing AI technology to fuel military and intelligence competition among global powers.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000U.S. security agencies have been tasked with gaining access to the “most powerful AI systems,” a move that includes a major procurement effort, another administration official said.
“We believe we must stay ahead of our adversaries and mitigate the threats posed by adversaries' use of AI,” the official told reporters.
The NSM aims to ensure the government “accelerates the adoption of AI in a smart and responsible way,” he said.
Along with the memo, the government plans to issue a framework document that will provide guidance on “how agencies can and cannot use AI,” the source said.
In July, more than a dozen advocacy groups, such as the Center for Democracy and Technology, sent an open letter to Biden administration officials, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, calling for robust safeguards to be built into the NSM.
"Despite promises of transparency, little is known about what AI is being used by the nation's largest intelligence, homeland security, and law enforcement agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the National Security Agency, and the Central Intelligence Agency," the letter said.
“Its use in a national security context also carries the risk of exacerbating racial, ethnic, or religious bias and exacerbating violations of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.”
Sullivan will deliver a speech about the memo at the National Defense University in Washington on Thursday, officials said.
Most of the memo is unclassified and will be made public, but it will also contain a classified appendix focused on threats from adversaries, they added.
Prepared by: Sergey Daga