US Government Outlines Artificial Intelligence Guardrails in First Memorandum of Its Kind

President Joe Biden issued the first-ever national security memorandum on artificial intelligence on Thursday, detailing goals for how the government should work with cutting-edge AI technologies while advancing international consensus around the controversial technology.

Since OpenAI released its ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot in 2022, AI has been a much-debated issue. In its simpler forms, it can help job-hunters refine their resumes or help students manage their time. It has more glamorous uses too. The technology has made the news for pulling John Lennon’s vocals out of an old tape for use in a new Beatles son. And many experts worry about the misuse of AI, which has proven its ability to create fictional images that look very real, including deepfakes of singer Taylor Swift that falsely suggest she endorsed former President Donald Trump for re-election. So it’s not surprising that the government is seeking to set out a rule book for utilizing the new powerful technology to best serve national interests, while putting critical guardrails in place.

The document contains about 38 unclassified pages, with a classified appendix, according to The New York Times. Some of its statements are obvious, The Times points out. For example, it states that AI systems must never be allowed decisions about using nuclear weapons.

Of course, Biden is not running for re-election, and his term ends in January. It is unclear how or if the new president, likely to be either Vice President Kamala Harris Trump, will follow the same policy spelled out in the document.

The document warns that the US, which has been a global leader in artificial intelligence, can’t take its advantage for granted.

“We are all familiar with past instances when we saw critical technologies and supply chains that were developed and commercialized here in the US migrate offshore for lack of critical public sector support,” the document reads in part. “That is why we are laser focused on maintaining the strongest AI ecosystem in the world here in the United States.”

The memorandum directs the National Economic Council to “coordinate an economic assessment of the relative competitive advantage of the US private sector AI ecosystem.” It also notes that the country will need to maintain its advantage by investing in semiconductors, infrastructure and clean energy.

The memorandum notes that US AI efforts must be governed by the “critical guardrails” established in 2023 by Biden’s executive order on safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence 

“Today’s NSM is just the latest step in a series of actions thanks to the leadership and diplomatic engagement of the president and vice president, and there will be additional steps taken in the coming months to further support US leadership in AI,” the statement said.