AI has been a source of deep personal curiosity for Biden, given its potential impact on the economy and national securitythat seeks to balance the needs of cutting-edge technology companies with national security and consumer rights, creating an early set of guardrails that could be fortified by legislation and global agreements.
Using the Defense Production Act, the order will require leading AI developers to share safety test results and other information with the government. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is to create standards to ensure AI tools are safe and secure before public release. Biden was profoundly curious about the technology in the months of meetings that led up to drafting the order. His science advisory council focused on AI at two meetings and his Cabinet discussed it at two meetings. The president also pressed tech executives and civil society advocates about the technology's capabilities at multiple gatherings.
Meetings could go beyond schedule, with Biden telling civil society advocates in a ballroom of San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel in June: “This is important. Take as long as you need.”