President Biden Signs National Security Memorandum to Advance US’ Leadership in AI

U.S. President Joe Biden has signed the National Security Memorandum (NSM) aimed at advancing the U.S.’ competitive edge against rivals like China while mitigating potential dangers associated with AI technology.

“This memorandum provides further direction on appropriately harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) models and AI-enabled technologies in the United States Government, especially in the context of national security systems (NSS), while protecting human rights, civil rights, civil liberties, privacy, and safety in AI-enabled national security activities,” the White House said.

The National Security Memorandum directs the U.S. Government to take decisive and effective actions to position the United States as a global leader in the development of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI.

It emphasizes the importance of leveraging advanced AI technologies to enhance national security efforts and fostering international consensus and governance around AI.

The memo also aims to influence international norms surrounding AI usage to reflect these democratic principles, while also directing efforts to monitor and counter adversaries' development and use of AI for national security purposes.

Earlier this month, the White House issued new guidance for federal agencies looking to acquire artificial intelligence solutions.

The newly anticipated memorandum on responsible AI acquisition in government instructs U.S. agencies to implement measures for managing risks, fostering competition, and facilitating information sharing within the executive branch.

The memo further states that any AI acquisition by a federal agency will be treated as an IT acquisition.