US sets up board to advise on safe, secure use of AI

WASHINGTON: The chief executives of OpenAI, Microsoft and Google are among the high-profile members of a new federal board created to advise the US government on the “safe and secure” development of artificial intelligence.

The new advisory board will help authorities combat AI-related disruptions that may “impact national or economic security, public health, or safety,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement released Friday.

President Joe Biden directed department Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to set up the 22-member board.

Mayorkas said that while AI is a transformative tool, “it presents real risks.”

“The Board will help DHS stay ahead of evolving threats posed by hostile nation-state actors and reinforce our national security,” the statement said.

AI may be used by unfriendly forces to enable larger scale, faster attacks against targets like pipelines, railways and other critical infrastructure, it said.

“Artificial Intelligence is the most transformative technology of our time, and we must ensure it is deployed safely and responsibly,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in the statement.

Other high-powered members named to the board include the CEOs of Adobe, Alphabet, Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco, IBM, Nvidia, Delta Airlines and Northrop Grumman.

The board also includes academics and politicians, including the governor of Maryland.

The board is to convene for the first time in early May and provide recommendations for the safe adoption of AI “in the essential services Americans depend on every day,” it said.

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