White House announces new AI measures as Apple voluntarily commits

The Biden administration announced new steps toward AI regulation Friday, with Apple signing voluntary commitments for responsible AI development outlined in a previous executive order from President Joe Biden on mitigating AI risks. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

July 26 (UPI) — The White House announced new steps on artificial intelligence on Friday, with Apple signing voluntary commitments under the administration’s previous executive order on AI.

“Today, the administration announced that Apple has signed the voluntary commitments, solidifying these commitments as cornerstones of responsible AI innovation,” the White House said in a statement Friday. “In addition, federal agencies reported completing all of the 270-day actions required by the executive order on time, after completing all other required tasks on time to date.”

Those actions were called for in an executive order on AI that President Joe Biden signed in October.

The executive order “based on voluntary commitments” was supported by 15 major AI companies last year.

The White House said the agencies have taken steps “to mitigate the safety and security risks of AI, protect Americans’ privacy, advance fairness and civil rights, defend consumers and workers, promote innovation and competition, advance American leadership in the world, and much more.”

It’s an effort by the White House to mobilize the government “to ensure America leads the way in seizing the promise and managing the risks of artificial intelligence,” according to the White House.

After signing the October executive order on AI, Biden announced new measures in April to regulate the use of AI to protect worker safety and rights.

The measures represent some of the strongest government protections to date for machine learning technology, the White House said at the time.

Government agencies have developed AI safety and security guidelines while launching the first AI Safety and Security Council to advise the Department of Homeland Security on potential issues.

Biden urged tech companies to voluntarily engage in a responsible approach to developing artificial intelligence.

Federal agencies have been tasked with taking sweeping steps to ensure AI safety in a variety of ways.

The White House said the effort to responsibly manage AI development is also underway internationally, with 55 countries now endorsing a political declaration for the responsible development and deployment of military AI capabilities.

The White House said a U.N. resolution unanimously adopted by more than 100 co-sponsors sets out a shared vision for countries around the world to advance the safe and secure use of AI to address global challenges.