Microsoft and Indeed stepped up to adopt new artificial intelligence principles put forth by President Joe Biden, while leading senators took a step toward crafting AI legislation.
On Thursday, the White House announced AI implementation principles for businesses and organizations that included having clear governance systems, procedures, human oversight, evaluation processes, and transparency in the workplace to ensure workers are informed, have input into development, and that the technology is created and trained to protect them.
“The principles are not intended to be an exhaustive list but instead a guiding framework for businesses,” the White House said in a statement. “AI developers and employers should review and customize the best practices based on their own context and with input from workers.”
Microsoft and Indeed agreed to apply the principles in their workplaces, the White House said.
The guidance from the White House followed the unveiling of AI legislative priorities Wednesday by a bipartisan Senate AI working group, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
The group, which also consists of Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.), is prioritizing legislation that increases funds for AI research and decreases threats, according to its policy roadmap.
Bipartisanship, however, has not quieted criticism of the group holding closed-door hearings with Big Tech and opaque input into stakeholders and forums they’ve held.
Expanding the funding for AI innovation was the top priority of the senators, along with increasing U.S. leadership, maintaining global competitiveness, and furthering AI research and development, according to a roadmap summary.
Another leading priority is to apply and enforce existing laws to AI, address enforcement gaps and harmful bias, mandate use case requirements for transparency and explainability, and standards for testing potential harms. The senators also want to address potential national security threats posed by AI and deepfakes related to elections.
“After talking to advocates, critics, academics, labor groups, civil rights leaders, stakeholders, developers, and more, our working group was able to identify key areas of policy that have bipartisan consensus,” Schumer said in a press release. The group will advance legislation with “urgency and humility,” he added.
“Our goal is to ensure the United States maintains its leadership in AI innovation, enabling the American people to reap the substantial national security, economic, and societal benefits of an AI-driven future,” Young said.
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