Introduction

On 30th October, 2023, the US president issued an executive order (EO)  with the goal to promote safe, secure & trustworthy development and use of AI. This sweeping order is guided by a few principles and priorities and it mandates different federal agencies and departments that are in charge of areas ranging from housing to health to national security to solicit public inputs, publish Request for Information (RFI) documents, develop guidelines and best practices, issue reports, form committees and create standards and regulations for the use and oversight of AI within stipulated time periods. AI experts have hailed the order for its focus on safety.

President Biden stated, "My Administration places the highest urgency on governing the development and use of AI. Safely and responsibly, therefore advancing a coordinated, Federal Government-wide approach. The rapid speed at which AI capabilities advance compels the United States to lead for our security, economy, and society".

What does the Executive Order entail? 

The order attributes very high importance to AI safety. It requires that developers of certain AI systems need to share safety test results for their new AI models with the US government if the tests show that the technology could pose a risk to national security. This is a move that invokes the Defense Production Act, typically used during times of national emergency. So, managing AI risk is becoming significantly important.

Here are the 8 key principles that the act is guided by : 

1. AI must be safe and secure by requiring robust, reliable, repeatable and standardised evaluations of AI systems, as well as policies, institutions, and, as appropriate, mechanisms to test, understand, and mitigate risks from these systems before they are put to use.

2. Promote responsible innovation, competition and collaboration and address IP rights questions and stop unlawful collusion and monopoly.

3. Responsible development & use of AI need commitment to support American workers and understand the impact of AI on the labour force and workers’ rights.

4. AI policies must be consistent with the advancement of equity and civil rights.

5. The interests of Americans who increasingly use, interact with, or purchase AI and AI-enabled products in their daily lives must be protected.

6. Americans’ privacy and civil liberties must be protected by ensuring that the collection, use and retention of data is lawful, secure and promotes privacy.

7. Manage the risks from the federal government’s own use of AI and increase its internal capacity to regulate, govern and support responsible use of AI.

8. The US government should globally lead to develop a framework to manage AI risks, unlock AI’s potential for good and promote a common approach.

The executive order mandates the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish guidelines and best practices for developing and deploying safe, secure, and trustworthy AI systems within 270 days from the date of the order.

NIST has an existing AI Risk Management Framework, NIST AI 100-1. The president’s order has mandated NISTto build resources on top of this framework. The framework articulates certain characteristics of a trustworthy AI system. 

Image Source: NIST

The interpretation of the framework can be understood in the following section.

How does RagaAI help? 

As we understand, under the purview of this order, every business entity dealing in AI must be able to manage its risk well. While the specific requirements and obligations take shape across the US, RagaAI offers a lot of value on expediting this endeavour. With its comprehensive solutions, RagaAI helps businesses identify, break-down and comply with the obligations that the order proposes. These solutions work across all modalities of data.

Image Source: RagaAI

RagaAI provides comprehensive tests catering to the requirements of the act (laid out objectively), using cutting-edge methods, concrete frameworks and extensive visualisation techniques.

Image Source: RagaAI

Users can track overall compliance status with global standards put in place by various regulators and policies.

Image Source: RagaAI

A summary view of various tests and objectives that they comply with. It also shows the risk level ( impact ) and the status of compliance. Doesn’t it look so convenient ? 

 
The website docs enlist and meticulously present the various tests which have been designed to comply with different aspects of regulatory regimes.

Conclusion

The White House Executive Order has been received well by the AI world. Along with enabling regulations for safe AI in the USA, the order has also helped establish the need for AI regulation across the world. The E.O. promotes the development and implementation of repeatable processes and mechanisms to understand and mitigate risks related to AI adoption, especially with respect to biosecurity, cybersecurity, national security, and critical infrastructure risk. While the implementation guidelines take shape over time, it is important for the community to understand the fundamental requirements and take prudent steps to ensure safe and trustworthy AI applications. 

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