The White House wants to employ generative AI experts at all federal agencies. On March 28, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new policy for the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Among its many stipulations, the new decree will require U.S. agencies to appoint officers who have “significant expertise in AI.”
The AI officers will be asked to follow through on President Biden‘s October 2023 executive order, which laid out a roadmap for AI regulation in the United States. The experts installed at federal agencies will attend regular Chief AI Officer Councils, which are already underway; according to a White House briefing, AI officers have been coordinating their efforts across the federal government since December.
Ars Technica notes that some agencies have already chosen their AI officers. The stragglers will be required to complete the relevant hires over the next 60 days. By December 1, the newly installed experts will be asked to identify and correct non-compliant AI usage within their respective departments.
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The arrival of the new OMB policy comes a few days after the passage of the AI Act, a sweeping European Union law that sets regulations for artificial intelligence across the continent. Like the AI Act, the White House’s approach to generative AI features a two-pronged approach: As federal agencies seek to root out AI-powered systems that infringe on the rights of Americans, they will also encourage the development of beneficial AI solutions in fields like public health, public safety, and climate.
As part of an initiative called the National AI Talent Surge, the Biden Administration will hire 100 AI professionals by Summer 2024. “OMB’s guidance encourages agencies to responsibly experiment with generative AI, with adequate safeguards in place,” reads the White House briefing. “Many agencies have already started this work, including through using AI chatbots to improve customer experiences and other AI pilots.”
Other aspects of the OMB policy include proper labeling of AI tools; platforms like YouTube and TikTok have adopted similar measures. You can read the full 34-page policy right here.
