In a significant move towards the safe and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Vice President Kamala Harris has announced a series of groundbreaking initiatives. These bold actions demonstrate U.S. leadership on AI and build upon the historic Executive Order signed by President Biden last month.

One of the major initiatives is the establishment of the United States AI Safety Institute (US AISI) inside the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The US AISI will operationalize NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework by creating guidelines, tools, benchmarks, and best practices for evaluating and mitigating dangerous capabilities and conducting evaluations including red-teaming to identify and mitigate AI risk. 

The Institute will develop technical guidance that will be used by regulators considering rule-making and enforcement on issues such as authenticating content created by humans, watermarking AI-generated content, identifying and mitigating against harmful algorithmic discrimination, ensuring transparency, and enabling adoption of privacy-preserving AI.

The Role of the US AI Safety Institute

The US AISI will play a crucial role in the development and implementation of AI safety measures. It will create a space for collaborators to engage in informed dialogue and enable the sharing of information and knowledge. The Institute will also engage in collaborative research and development through shared projects. It will enable the assessment and evaluation of test systems and prototypes to inform future AI measurement efforts. 

The work of the consortium will be open and transparent, providing a hub for interested parties to work together in building and maturing a measurement science for trustworthy and responsible AI.

International Pledge on AI Use

Another significant initiative is the development of a pledge with the Freedom Online Coalition of 38 countries. This pledge incorporates responsible and rights-respecting practices in government development, procurement, and use of AI.

The Freedom Online Coalition Pledge

The Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) is a group of countries deeply committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms both offline and online. The FOC acknowledges that artificial intelligence systems offer unprecedented opportunities for human development and innovation, with the potential to generate social and economic benefits and help protect and promote human rights and fundamental freedoms. 

However, AI systems can also be developed or used in ways that pose significant risks to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The FOC is particularly concerned by the documented and ongoing use of AI systems for repressive and authoritarian purposes.

A Global Leader in AI Safety

These initiatives are part of the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to position the United States as a global leader in ensuring AI is developed and used in the public interest internationally. The administration is working with the private sector, other governments, and civil society to uphold the highest standards to ensure that innovation does not come at the expense of the public’s rights and safety.

Vice President Harris’s trip to the United Kingdom to deliver a major policy speech on AI and attend the Global Summit on AI Safety further advances this work. The Vice President is committed to establishing a set of rules and norms for AI, with allies and partners, that reflect democratic values and interests, including transparency, privacy, accountability, and consumer protections.

The Global Summit on AI Safety

The Global Summit on AI Safety was an international conference discussing the safety and regulation of artificial intelligence. It was held at Bletchley Park, United Kingdom, on November 1-2, 2023. It was the first ever global summit on artificial intelligence. The summit provided the space for an international conversation on how nations can work together to meet the novel challenges these risks pose, combat misuse of models by non-state actors, and promote best practices.