Highlights
The White House sees AI as “an era-defining technology” and says the US must use “responsible speed” to work with industry and civil society to use AI for national security – or risk “losing ground.” losses to strategic competitors’.
The White House says the government must “leverage powerful AI, . . . to achieve national security objectives”, while respecting “democratic values related to transparency, human rights, civil rights, civil liberties, privacy and security”
The White House also wants to attract non-citizens who are highly skilled in AI to live and work in the US, and has directed the State Department and Defense Department to recruit such individuals to the US pull and transfer.
On October 24, 2024, the White House issued a memorandum on the need for the US to advance its leadership in the development and use of AI models and AI-enabled technologies. The memorandum calls these technologies “era-defining technologies,” as global competition for primacy in the AI space increases. The memorandum directs the U.S. government to implement concrete and impactful steps to: 1) ensure that the U.S. leads the global development of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI; 2) leveraging advanced AI technologies to advance the U.S. government’s national security mission; and 3) promoting international consensus and governance around AI.
White House Policy Objectives
The memorandum stated that it is U.S. policy to maintain its “competitive advantage in the development of AI” by promoting and securing “domestic AI progress, innovation, and competition” and “strengthening innovation and competition through key to strengthen the driving forces behind AI progress, such as technical talent and computing power.”
The memorandum also stated that it is a “national security priority” to “promote the legal ability of non-citizens with a high level of AI knowledge to enter and work in the United States.”
In furtherance of these objectives, the U.S. must “protect U.S. industry, civil society, and academic AI intellectual property and related infrastructure from threats from foreign intelligence services to maintain an edge in foundational capabilities.”
The memorandum outlines three main objectives to advance these policy statements, including:
- Leadership in AI development: Declare that the U.S. must lead in creating safe, secure, and trustworthy AI, and ensure a vibrant domestic ecosystem that attracts global talent and sustains technological advantages.
- Using AI for national security: stating that the US must deploy AI capabilities with appropriate safeguards, respect democratic values, and understand the limitations of AI.
- International governance framework: Provided that the U.S. shall promote a responsible international framework for AI development that upholds human rights and democratic values, in cooperation with allies.
The memorandum also emphasized the need to attract skilled international talent, promote innovation, and secure the U.S. AI ecosystem against foreign threats. In doing so, it outlined specific actions and assessments to strengthen the country’s competitiveness in AI, including improving visa processes for skilled workers and promoting AI-related technological resources.
Critical actions to advance objectives
The AI Memorandum outlines several critical actions deemed necessary to further the above objectives. Specifically:
- With regard to ensuring that the U.S. leads the global development of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI, the memorandum: 1) provides direction for actions to improve the safety and diversity of chip supply chains, and to ensure that the U.S. supporting next-generation development of government supercomputers and other emerging technologies; and 2) directs relevant U.S. government agencies to provide AI developers with the timely cybersecurity and counterintelligence information needed to keep their inventions safe.
- With respect to enabling the U.S. government to leverage advanced AI, while protecting human rights and democratic values, to achieve national security objectives, the memorandum provides guidance on AI governance and risk management for use in national security missions, supplementing previous guidance from the Office of Management and Budget for Non-National Security Missions.
- In advancing international consensus and governance around AI, the memorandum: 1) builds on substantial international progress on AI governance over the past twelve months; and 2) directs the U.S. government to work with allies and partners to establish a stable, accountable, and rights-respecting governance framework to ensure that the technology is developed and used in ways consistent with international law while protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Direction to government agencies
The memorandum also outlines specific actions and policies for U.S. government agencies to enhance and protect AI capabilities consistent with national security objectives, including:
- Facility Development: The Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE), and the Intelligence Community (IC) will integrate large-scale AI into their mission planning and facility construction, ensuring alignment with the Federal Mission Resilience Strategy.
- AI Resource Distribution: The National Science Foundation (NSF) will deploy the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) to provide critical AI resources to universities, nonprofits, and researchers who lack access, enabling competitive and innovative AI research is promoted.
- Pilots: DOE will launch a pilot to evaluate federated AI for large-scale training and analytics.
- Streamlining Infrastructure Development: The White House Chief of Staff will coordinate efforts to simplify permitting and approvals for AI infrastructure, and work with various levels of government to ensure resilience and environmental sustainability.
- Investments in AI Technologies: Several agencies (State Department, DOD, DOE, IC, and Commerce Department) will encourage public and private investments in strategic AI technologies and evaluate the need for new authorities to facilitate these investments.
- Protection against foreign threats: The US will protect its AI innovations and intellectual property from threats from foreign intelligence services, deploying a variety of strategies to identify and mitigate risks to the AI supply chain.
- Managing AI risks: The government will develop technical and policy tools to address the safety, security and reliability risks of AI. The Department of Commerce, through the AI Safety Institute (AISI), will lead voluntary testing of AI models to assess risks related to cybersecurity, biosecurity, and human rights, among others.
- Guidance for Developers: AISI will provide guidance for AI developers on testing and managing the risks associated with dual-use models, with an emphasis on safety, security and misuse prevention.
These actions are intended to ensure that the US maintains its leadership in AI while safeguarding national security and democratic values.
Takeaways
The White House memorandum underscores the importance of AI technology and the administration’s desire to enhance, expand and protect the competitive advantage the U.S. enjoys from that technology. It also emphasizes the need to lead the international development of governance standards and norms that are consistent and reliable. conducive to the democratic values espoused by the US. Readers should familiarize themselves with the entire memorandum and continue to watch for further developments in U.S. policy, especially given the potential changes of the next administration.
