Supporting House bills to boost AI safety

Everyone who works for or with the public sector — from federal employees to government contractors to academia — is trying to figure out what an artificial intelligence-enabled federal workforce looks like. The key, said Alan Shark, associate professor in the George Mason University - Schar School of Policy and Government, is to infuse some level of AI literacy into the classroom in all areas: public administration, health, law. That will help the workforce of the future understand not only how the tools work, but also the things to worry about. Read more about AI's impact on government below! Sponsored by George Mason University - Schar School of Policy and Government

Everyone who works for or with the public sector — from federal employees to government contractors to academia — is trying to figure out what an artificial intelligence-enabled federal workforce looks like. The key, said Alan Shark, associate professor in the George Mason University - Schar School of Policy and Government, is to infuse some level of AI literacy into the classroom in all areas: public administration, health, law. That will help the workforce of the future understand not only how the tools work, but also the things to worry about. Read more about AI's impact on government below! Sponsored by George Mason University - Schar School of Policy and Government

Good news for AI!

Weekly AI News Roundup This week, members of Congress moved to improve consumer literacy and trust in AI and prevent the use of AI products developed by U.S. adversaries. Here is an overview of recent legislation introduced on Capitol Hill to address AI: → Artificial Intelligence Acquisitions Act introduced: Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo) introduced this legislation to prohibit the U.S. government and private entities it holds contracts with from using AI products developed by adversaries. The bill would also direct the under secretary of commerce for standards and technology to work with the Federal Acquisitions Security Council to create and keep an updated list of AI products developed by adversarial countries, including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria. https://buff.ly/46vPYxv → Bipartisan bill on AI workforce proposed: House Science, Space and Technology Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) introduced the Workforce for AI Trust Act to promote a workforce that can progress and train trustworthy AI systems. This bill would promote such a workforce by using current National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology programs on AI, education and workforce. https://buff.ly/4d95wd7 → Sens. Kelly, Rounds introduce bill to generate consumer literacy and trust in AI: Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) proposed the Consumer Literacy and Empowerment to Advance Responsible Navigation of Artificial Intelligence Act to further consumer knowledge and confidence in AI products. This legislation would establish a national literacy strategy, develop guidelines on AI use and create a national media campaign to further consumer literacy on AI. https://buff.ly/3Acn9tW What are your thoughts on these recent AI developments? Share your thoughts below! #artificialintelligence #publicaffairs #publicpolicy

AI literacy is “no longer optional”, William Fry has stressed to in-house counsel from Ireland’s leading companies at its annual end-of-year Counsel Connect seminar.

When people hear the words “AI Policy” they usually think of regulation and get angry. But AI policy can also enable innovation, development, and implementation, as well as improve citizens' lives. Senator Mike Rounds (R-ND) introduced a bipartisan package of AI-related legislation that includes a lot of best practices for how AI should be used in government to enable innovation, reduce costs, and improve citizen experience. The package includes the following: 🏛 GUIDE AI Act: Creates a centralized data exchange for biomedical data through existing regulatory agencies and departments. This data sharing can accelerate medical research, drug discovery, and enable faster development of new medicine. 🏛 Unleashing AI Innovation in Financial Services Act: Allows companies to use new AI-driven financial products in ‘regulatory sandboxes,’ encouraging innovation while maintaining safety and oversight. 🏛 Consumers LEARN AI Act: Develops a national literacy strategy for AI including use case guidance for educational institutions and a national media campaign to help consumers make informed decisions about AI use. 🏛 Increasing AI Transparency in Financial Services Act: Requires reporting by regulatory agencies on AI in the financial services industry to improve the standardization of regulation and AI practices in finance. 🏛 Department of Defence Pilot Program Legislation: Mandates the creation of a pilot program by the Department of Defence to use AI software in shipyards, manufacturing facilities, and other related infrastructure to reduce costs and improve operations. So what are the best practices? 1️⃣ Promoting data sharing and collaboration: Government has SO MUCH DATA. While challenging, putting money towards reducing data silos will have a demonstrable impact and long-term ROI. 2️⃣ Regulatory sandboxes: This policy tool is a controlled environments where businesses can test new products or services with a limited number of customers, for a set duration, and under close supervision by regulators. These sandboxes enable regulators to better understand the impact of new technologies and create policies that effectively mitigate risks or harms. 3️⃣ Prioritizing Literacy and Public Awareness: I have seen firsthand the negative impact of deepfakes and AI-enabled disinformation (with my grandma 😁 ). We need an investment in educating consumers and upskilling workers to use AI before they experience fraud or are left behind economically. This will have a ROI through reduced fraud and a more productive workforce. While AI may seem scary, it has the potential to enable human flourishing. The onus is on policymakers not to slow it down, but to harness it for good. What are some other best practices or examples of effective, tech-enabling policy? #AI #AIPolicy #Government

Four Take Aways from the US National Security Memorandum and Framework Amarda Shehu, VP and Chief AI Officer and Professor of Computer Science  Jesse Kirkpatrick, Research Associate Professor and Co-Director of Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center  J.P. Singh, Distinguished University Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnership  George Mason University    On October 24, 2024, President Biden released the long-anticipated U.S. National Security Memorandum on AI (the memo) alongside a complementary Framework to Advance AI Governance and Risk Management in National Security (the framework).  Here are four takeaways from the memo and framework.    Responsible AI as a Cornerstone of National Security Policy  The memo’s emphasis on Responsible AI (RAI) is striking, positioning it as a central theme for national security and confronting the ongoing challenge of translating these principles into practice. We see an attempt to encourage responsible development, adoption, and governance of AI. What remains uncertain is precisely how RAI principles will transition from aspirational guidelines to rigorous, measurable practices.     The AI Safety Institute (AISI) as a Central Player  Mentioned over twenty times, AISI has been tasked with implementing standards for RAI while establishing metrics to evaluate frontier AI models within the framework of national security. Despite fundamental challenges in how to move from principles to benchmarks, the memo calls for preliminary testing of at least two frontier models within the next 180 days, with voluntary cooperation from the private sector, hinting at the delicate balance between government oversight and industry autonomy.     Framework Built on Voluntary Participation — Will It Suffice?  Despite its length, the memo relies primarily on voluntary commitments to cultivate a culture of RAI across both public and private sectors. If participation is purely voluntary, appropriate carrots and sticks must be leveraged to ensure participation.     Global Governance and a Democratic Approach to AI Regulation  The memo links the US domestic agenda on AI with international governance. This alignment suggests that the US will continue to leverage its AI capabilities as a strategic tool within the global policy landscape. Although the memo avoids naming specific nations, its emphasis on working with organizations like the OECD hints at a strategic intent to foster an alliance of democracies around AI principles that prioritize and align with democratic norms and values.    Conclusion   The US National Security Memorandum on AI sets a bold agenda, highlighting RAI as a cornerstone to national security, fostering voluntary collaboration, and promoting democratic governance. However, significant challenges lie ahead, particularly in translating RAI principles into actionable benchmarks, fostering academic and industry cooperation, and ensuring that US-led standards resonate globally.   

AI literacy is “no longer optional”, William Fry has stressed to in-house counsel from Ireland’s leading companies at its annual end-of-year Counsel Connect seminar.

Happy New Year! ICYMI - at Ada Lovelace Institute we ended the year with a reflection on the shifting AI landscape, where Ada has made an impact, and areas we will focus on next year. https://lnkd.in/eaNVumKD In a year rife with narratives about AI driving progress, Ada has worked to ensure that these technologies work for people and society. And we’ve continued to bring calm, caution and evidence to hype cycles. AI, society and public services - We published work from Barking & Dagenham, highlighting prerequisites for data analytics to be trusted by frontline workers: explainability, public legitimacy and accuracy. - We called for a National Taskforce for the Procurement of AI in Local Government to address the multiple challenges in this area in a joined-up way. - We focused on the impacts of AI and data-driven systems that may entrench inequalities in society through our report on how data on gender is recorded in primary care, and through our engagement with the Home Secretary on biometrics regulation. The safety conversation - Ada attended global safety convenings in Seoul and San Francisco, arguing for a renewed focus on context-specific evaluations of AI systems and new statutory powers. - We also published research looking at the evaluation of foundation models, which found that current evaluations are not enough to prevent unsafe products from entering the market. The governance landscape - Many of our key recommendations were included in the EU AI Act, such as the establishment of a new AI Office to ensure coordinated regulatory oversight, the inclusion of GPAI models so that accountability is more logically distributed along the value chain, and the requirement for public bodies to undertake fundamental rights impact assessments. - We examined the effectiveness of a first-of-its-kind third-party AI auditing regime - winning best paper at FAccT 2024, to boot - We published a landscape review of the current state of participatory and inclusive data stewardship. - We explored what lessons can be learned for AI regulation from three other regulated sectors. Listening to the public - We commissioned an update of our 2023 survey How do people feel about AI?, to be published in March 2025 with our partners The Alan Turing Institute - We began new research asking people what they think is the relationship between AI and public good. *2025?* Next year we have an opportunity to shape governance in the UK with the upcoming AI bill consultation, to influence in the international ecosystem at the AI Action Summit in Paris, and to continue building evidence and convening diverse voices on how AI and data can best work for people and society. We will also roll out our new strategy, which will focus our work and put us in a position to make the most impact possible. We look forward to working with you all!

🚀 The Future of Public Service Powered by AI  In StateScoop, Beth Simone Noveck writes how the State of New Jersey is leading the way in reshaping how government interacts with citizens, leveraging AI-driven insights to create smarter, more responsive systems. Recent survey findings reveal how public servants are integrating AI tools into their workflows to solve real-world challenges, from improving decision-making to enhancing public engagement. Through a partnership with InnovateUS, New Jersey is training state workers how to harness the power of AI and ensure that any use of it is safe, secure, respectful of residents’ privacy, free of bias and in line with state policies. 👉 Read the full piece: https://lnkd.in/e95An8iy #ArtificialIntelligence #PublicService #Innovation #DigitalTransformation #Leadership Jennifer Pahlka, New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development