AI Guidelines at the White House Offer a Refreshing Counterpoint to Excessive Regulation
The White House has released a draft set of principles for AI regulation, as part of Executive Order 13859, "Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence." This set of principles, which U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios refers to as the "first of its kind," aims to guide federal oversight of AI development and deployment in the private sector, balancing growth and trust, and reducing unnecessary barriers to innovation.
The principles encompass ten "Principles for the Stewardship of AI Applications," including promoting reliable, robust, and trustworthy AI, public participation, scientific integrity, risk assessment, maximizing net benefits, flexibility, fairness and non-discrimination, disclosure and transparency, safety and security, and interagency coordination.
The White House encourages a balanced approach to AI regulation, urging other countries to follow suit. This approach is a welcome alternative to calls by European policymakers to "legislate first, ask questions later." The rush to regulate AI before understanding the implications of new laws could have unintended consequences, and the White House's draft principles aim to avoid this.
Agencies are encouraged to reduce barriers to innovation by engaging with the private sector, the international community, and the general public. They can issue policy guidance, conduct experiments and pilot programs, and develop voluntary standards based on industry consensus as non-regulatory options.
The draft guidance is open for public comment until March 13, 2020. Once finalized, federal agencies will have 180 days to submit their plans to implement the White House's AI principles.
Europe and its allies are urged to avoid heavy-handed AI regulation models, as Europe's most notable legislation of the last decade, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), has imposed unnecessary costs and legal hurdles on AI's development and deployment, potentially placing the EU at a strategic disadvantage.
The White House's AI guidelines aim to balance growth and trust, and reduce unnecessary barriers to innovation, in a bid to maintain America's leadership in AI. The principles emphasize the importance of public participation, scientific integrity, risk assessment, and promoting fairness and non-discrimination, among others. This balanced approach is a significant step towards responsible AI development and deployment in the private sector.
