Biden administration assembles AI expert team

President Joe Biden has formed a team of experts to create standards for AI training and deployment across industries.
The White House

President Joe Biden has assembled a team of lawyers, engineers, and national security specialists to develop standards for the training and deployment of AI across various industries. The team, tasked with creating AI guardrails, aims to identify AI-generated images, determine suitable training data, and prevent China from accessing essential AI technology. They are also collaborating with foreign governments and Congress to align AI approaches globally.

Laurie E. Locascio, Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), oversees the institute’s AI research, biotechnology, quantum science, and cybersecurity. She has requested an additional $50 million to fulfil the institute’s responsibilities under Biden’s AI executive order.

Alan Estevez, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, is responsible for preventing adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from obtaining semiconductor technology crucial for AI systems. Estevez has imposed restrictions on the sale of advanced computer chips to China and is encouraging US allies to do the same.

Elizabeth Kelly, Director of the AI Safety Institute, leads the team at NIST in developing AI tests, definitions, and voluntary standards as per Biden’s directive. She facilitated data and technology sharing agreements with over 200 companies, civil society groups, and researchers, and represented the US at an AI summit in South Korea.

Elham Tabassi, Chief Technology Officer of the AI Safety Institute, focuses on identifying AI risks and testing the most powerful AI models. She has been with NIST since 1999, working on machine learning and developing voluntary guidelines to mitigate AI risks. Saif M. Khan, Senior Adviser to the Secretary for Critical and Emerging Technologies, coordinates AI policy activities across the Commerce Department, including export controls and copyright guidance for AI-assisted inventions. Khan acts as a key liaison between the department and Congress on AI issues.