The Biden-Harris Administration has announced that it has secured a second round of voluntary safety commitments from eight prominent AI companies.
Representatives from Adobe, Cohere, IBM, Nvidia, Palantir, Salesforce, Scale AI, and Stability attended the White House for the announcement. These eight companies have pledged to play a pivotal role in promoting the development of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI.
The Biden-Harris Administration is actively working on an Executive Order and pursuing bipartisan legislation to ensure the US leads the way in responsible AI development that unlocks its potential while managing its risks.
The commitments made by these companies revolve around three fundamental principles: safety, security, and trust. They have committed to:
- Ensure products are safe before introduction:
The companies commit to rigorous internal and external security testing of their AI systems before releasing them to the public. This includes assessments by independent experts, helping guard against significant AI risks such as biosecurity, cybersecurity, and broader societal effects.
They will also actively share information on AI risk management with governments, civil society, academia, and across the industry. This collaborative approach will include sharing best practices for safety, information on attempts to circumvent safeguards, and technical cooperation.
- Build systems with security as a top priority:
The companies have pledged to invest in cybersecurity and insider threat safeguards to protect proprietary and unreleased model weights. Recognising the critical importance of these model weights in AI systems, they commit to releasing them only when intended and when security risks are adequately addressed.
Additionally, the companies will facilitate third-party discovery and reporting of vulnerabilities in their AI systems. This proactive approach ensures that issues can be identified and resolved promptly even after an AI system is deployed.
- Earn the public’s trust:
To enhance transparency and accountability, the companies will develop robust technical mechanisms – such as watermarking systems – to indicate when content is AI-generated. This step aims to foster creativity and productivity while reducing the risks of fraud and deception.
They will also publicly report on their AI systems’ capabilities, limitations, and areas of appropriate and inappropriate use, covering both security and societal risks, including fairness and bias. Furthermore, these companies are committed to prioritising research on the societal risks posed by AI systems, including addressing harmful bias and discrimination.
These leading AI companies will also develop and deploy advanced AI systems to address significant societal challenges, from cancer prevention to climate change mitigation, contributing to the prosperity, equality, and security of all.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s engagement with these commitments extends beyond the US, with consultations involving numerous international partners and allies. These commitments complement global initiatives, including the UK’s Summit on AI Safety, Japan’s leadership of the G-7 Hiroshima Process, and India’s leadership as Chair of the Global Partnership on AI.
The announcement marks a significant milestone in the journey towards responsible AI development, with industry leaders and the government coming together to ensure that AI technology benefits society while mitigating its inherent risks.
(Photo by Tabrez Syed on Unsplash)
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