I have mixed feelings about this one.  While I think it is good that the President wants the US to lead the world in the use and development of AI technologies, there is a real danger here. With the government having some form of control over AI, Someone might want to use it nefariously.  I know that AI is here to stay, but it leads down the path of total control. I think we need to stow it down a bit.

Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to ensure “continued American leadership” in artificial intelligence, which he said is of “paramount importance to maintaining the economic and national security of the United States and to shaping the global evolution of AI in a manner consistent with our nation’s values, policies, and priorities.”
The White House provided a copy of the executive order, which establishes these guiding principles:

“The United States must drive technological breakthroughs in AI across the Federal Government, industry, and academia in order to promote scientific discovery, economic competitiveness, and national security.”
“The United States must drive development of appropriate technical standards and reduce barriers to the safe testing and deployment of AI technologies in order to enable the creation of new AI-related industries and the adoption of AI by today’s industries.”
“The United States must train current and future generations of American workers with the skills to develop and apply AI technologies to prepare them for today’s economy and jobs of the future.”
“The United States must foster public trust and confidence in AI technologies and protect civil liberties, privacy, and American values in their application in order to fully realize the potential of AI technologies for the American people.”
“The United States must promote an international environment that supports American AI research and innovation and opens markets for American AI industries, while protecting our technological advantage in AI and protecting our critical AI technologies from acquisition by strategic competitors and adversarial nations.”

The president’s order directs all federal agencies to prioritize investment in AI research and development with the goal being that “the next great AI inventions are made in the United States.” Highlights of this effort include:

• unleashing innovation in AI by supporting long-term research and increasing access to Federal data and computing resources for America’s AI researchers;
• promoting a responsible approach to AI by encouraging transformative applications of AI, while continually improving outcomes for workers and users alike;
• preparing America’s workforce for the jobs of the future by directing Federal agencies to help Americans gain AI-relevant skills and promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education;
• directing regulatory agencies to establish guidance for AI development and use across technologies and industrial sectors;
• calling upon the National Institute of Standards and Technology to lead the development of appropriate technical and safety standards for AI systems; and
• protecting America’s advantage in AI by promoting an international environment that supports American AI research and industries while securing critical AI technology.

The White House also provided the following statement regarding the impact of leveraging AI on prosperity, national security, economic security, and the protection of American values:

“AI promises great benefits for American workers, with the potential to improve safety and increase productivity. Investment in AI is critical to creating the industries of the future like autonomous cars, industrial robots, algorithms for disease diagnosis, and more.
“Additionally, maintaining our Nation’s global leadership in AI will ensure that the technology is developed in a manner consistent with our Nation’s values, policies, and priorities. However, our Nation urgently needs workers and businesses skilled in AI and capable of leading our country’s development and application of AI into the future.
“AI must also be developed in a way that does not compromise our American values, civil liberties, or freedoms. Rapid technological innovation can lead to radical improvements in society and quality of life.”

The president has said he is committed to enacting policies that promote and protect American leadership in technology development, as well as innovation. In addition to promoting technical education and apprenticeships and ensuring “high quality STEM and computer science” educational opportunities, he has also sought to protect the nation’s “hard-earned intellectual property” from those who would seek to acquire it illegally—most recently, the indictment against the Chinese tech firm Huawei.
Click here to read the entire order: https://bit.ly/2TNTJIE

(Photo Credit: Joyce Boghosian/The White House)