United States: Creation of advisory panel on “safe and secure” use of AI

Bosses from OpenAI, Microsoft and Google are among the highest-ranking members of a new federal council created to advise the US government on the “safe and secure” use of artificial intelligence (AI).

The new team will help officials combat AI-related disruptions that “could affect national or economic security, public health or safety,” the US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on Friday.

President Joe Biden tasked the department's Secretary General Alejandro Mayorkas with creating this 22-member advisory committee.

Mr. Mayorkas stressed that while AI is a transformative tool, “it presents real risks.”

“The Council will help the Department of Homeland Security stay ahead of threats posed by adversary state actors and strengthen our national security,” the statement said.

AI could be used by hostile forces to execute rapid and large-scale attacks against targets such as pipelines, railways and other strategic infrastructure, the document warns.

“Artificial intelligence is the most transformative technology of our time, and we must ensure that it is used safely and responsibly,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a press release.

The CEOs of Adobe, Alphabet, Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco, IBM, Nvidia, Delta Airlines and Northrop Grumman are also among the group's most influential members.

This includes academics and politicians, including the governor of Maryland.

The body will meet for the first time in early May and make recommendations for the safe adoption of AI in “essential services that Americans rely on every day.”