Biden says US needs to address 'potential risks' of AI

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In a meeting Tuesday with the President's Advisory Council on Science and Technology, President Biden said that "AI can help address some very difficult challenges like disease and climate change, but we We must also address potential risks to our society, to our economy, to our national security.”

According to a White House transcript, Biden began his afternoon remarks to the press with a joke. "You're so calm today," he told the audience, who responded with a laugh. "I think they think it's all the artificial intelligence watching them."

Biden's comments came nearly a week after an open letter signed by Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak and others offering a six-month "pause" on large-scale AI development. The letter was published by a risk-focused organization (nickname "existential risk") called the Future of Life Institute.

Although Biden didn't allude to the letter, he did mention the White House's plan for an AI bill of rights.

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"Last October, we proposed a Bill of Rights - a Bill of Rights to ensure that important protections are built into AI systems from the start, without having to backtrack to do so," said he declared. "And I look forward to today's discussion on ensuring responsible innovation and appropriate safeguards to protect the rights and safety of the United States, protect its privacy, and combat bias. and disinformation that are also possible."

Tech companies, he added, "have a responsibility, in my view, to ensure that their products are safe before releasing them to the public."

He went on to reiterate comments he made in the State of the Union address to Congress, in which he urged for bipartisan privacy legislation. It should “one, put strict limits on the personal data tech companies collect about all of us; second, prohibit…advertising targeted at children; and third, to require companies to prioritize health and safety in the products they make,” he said.

When asked by a reporter if he thought AI was dangerous, Biden replied, "That remains to be seen. It's possible."

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