Trump to create American AI Initiative with executive order

Trump to create American AI Initiative with executive order

cNet | Source URL

President Donald Trump is directing federal agencies to focus on artificial intelligence (AI), multiple outlets have reported.

The Trump administration is going to create the American AI Initiative with an executive order on Monday, according to the New York Times and Reuters.

The order won’t include specific funding for the initiative, an administration official told outlets on a conference call, but will reportedly focus on five areas:

  • Research and development: Federal funding agencies will be asked to “prioritize AI investments” in their allocations.
  • Create standards: Standards to push the development of “reliable, robust, trustworthy, secure, portable and interoperable AI systems” will be set out by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
  • Preparing workers: Agencies will train people to prepare for the changes resulting from AI (such as automaton), through apprenticeships, fellowships and training programs.
  • International links: The US will collaborate on AI with other nations, but ensure that it develops in a way that works with American “values and interests.”

The news comes less than a week after Trump’s second State of the Union, which was light on technology aside from a passing reference to the administration’s infrastructure plan.

Last October, Google withdrew from competition for a $10 billion Pentagon cloud computing contract, saying it might conflict with its principles for ethical use of AI.

Trump was also reportedly expected to sign an executive order banning Chinese telecom equipment from US wireless networks by the end of February.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for further comment on the American AI Initiative.

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