What’s going on:
On Thursday, the White House announced a $140 million dollar investment to develop seven new artificial intelligence research hubs in the U.S., according to CNBC. Funding for the new hubs comes from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which has worked in collaboration with other federal agencies, higher education institutions, and stakeholders.
According to NSF, “The AI Institutes will support the development of a diverse AI workforce in the United States and help address the risks and potential harms posed by AI. Today’s investment means the NSF and funding partners have now invested close to half a billion dollars in the AI Institutes research network, which reaches almost every U.S. state.”
The White House also announced that it will lead by example to mitigate the potential risks of AI. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be releasing “draft policy guidance on the use of AI systems by the U.S. government for public comment,” according to the statement. “This guidance will establish specific policies for federal departments and agencies to follow in order to ensure their development, procurement, and use of AI systems centers on safeguarding the American people’s rights and safety.”
Why it matters:
The increased use of AI has raised concerns about potential job displacement, security, as well as accuracy, reliability and ethics when using these new tools. The Biden administration’s shift in focus on addressing these concerns demonstrates an awareness of these new challenges.
Vice President Kamala Harris is also meeting with executives representing top developers within the AI space including Alphabet, Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI. The meeting is a part of the White House’s broader efforts “to engage with advocates, companies, researchers, civil rights organizations, not-for-profit organizations, communities, international partners, and others on critical AI issues.”
How it’ll impact the future:
In its recent announcement, the White House calls AI “one of the most powerful technologies of our time”. The Biden administration recognizes the multitude of concerns raised not only by the public but by AI researchers in the software industry, academia, and other institutions.
This increased emphasis on AI technologies by the federal government could lead to new policies regarding AI solutions, and these policies would have a deep impact on the workforce and companies as they integrate AI into business operations.
