White House Sets New Rules for AI Use by Military and Intelligence Agencies

The White House has set new rules for artificial intelligence (AI) use by military and intelligence agencies.
This new framework, signed by President Joe Biden and announced Thursday, directs national security agencies to expand their use of the most advanced AI systems but also prohibits certain uses, including applications that would violate civil rights protected under the U.S. Constitution and any system that would automate the deployment of nuclear weapons.
Other provisions in the framework encourage AI research while calling for improved security of the U.S. computer chip supply chain. Intelligence agencies are also directed to prioritize protecting the American industry from foreign espionage campaigns.
Officials said the framework is necessary to ensure that AI is used responsibly and to encourage the development of new AI systems as China and other U.S. rivals compete in this space.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told students at the National Defense University in Washington when describing the new framework, “This is our nation’s first-ever strategy for harnessing the power and managing the risks of AI to advance our national security.”
Sullivan said AI is different from past innovations—space exploration, the Internet, and nuclear weapons and technology—that the U.S. government largely developed. Instead, the private sector has been leading AI development.
Now, AI is “poised to transform our national security landscape,” he said.
Sullivan said AI is already changing how national security agencies manage logistics and planning, improve cyber defenses and analyze intelligence.
While AI can transform national security for the better, it can also be used for mass surveillance, cyberattacks and even lethal autonomous devices.
Lethal autonomous drones, capable of taking out an enemy at their own discretion, remain a major concern about AI usage in the military sector.
The U.S. issued a declaration last February, calling for international cooperation in setting standards for these drones. The declaration contains non-legally binding guidelines for best practices for responsible military use of AI.
“As a rapidly changing technology, we have an obligation to create strong norms of responsible behavior concerning military uses of AI and in a way that keeps in mind that applications of AI by militaries will undoubtedly change in the coming years,” Bonnie Jenkins, the State Department’s under secretary for arms control and international security, said at the time.
The new AI framework comes after Biden signed an executive order last October, calling on the U.S. government to create policies for AI usage.
Before signing the order, Biden said AI is driving change at “warp speed” and carries both tremendous potential and perils.
“AI is all around us,” Biden said. “To realize the promise of AI and avoid the risk, we need to govern this technology.”
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.