National AI Strategy

The National Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Strategic Plan – an update of the report by the Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence of The National Science & Technology Council – was released in June, 2019, and the President’s, Executive Order 13859 Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence was released on February 11. The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) recently released the AI Roadmap Website, and an interesting industry response is “Intel Gets Specific on a National Strategy for AI, “How to Propel the US into a Sustainable Leadership Position on the Global Artificial Intelligence Stage” By Naveen Rao and David Hoffman. Excerpts follow and the accompanying links provide the details:

“AI is more than a matter of making good technology; it is also a matter of making good policy. And that’s what a robust national AI strategy will do: continue to unlock the potential of AI, prepare for AI’s many ramifications, and keep the U.S. among leading AI countries. At least 20 other countries have published, and often funded, their national AI strategies. Last month, the administration signaled its commitment to U.S. leadership in AI by issuing an executive order to launch the American AI Initiative, focusing federal government resources to develop AI. Now it’s time to take the next step and bring industry and government together to develop a fully realized U.S. national strategy to continue leading AI innovation.

“… But to sustain leadership and effectively manage the broad social implications of AI, the U.S. needs coordination across government, academia, industry and civil society. This challenge is too big for silos, and it requires that technologists and policymakers work together and understand each other’s worlds.” Their call to action was released in May 2018.

Four Key Pillars

“Our recommendation for a national AI strategy lays out four key responsibilities for government. Within each of these areas we propose actionable steps. We provide some highlights here, and we encourage you to read the full white paper or scan the shorter fact sheet.

Sustainable and funded government AI research and development can help to advance the capabilities of AI in areas such as healthcare, cybersecurity, national security and education, but there need to be clear ethical guidelines.

Create new employment opportunities and protect people’s welfare given that AI has the potential to automate certain work activities.

Liberate and share data responsibly, as the more data that is available, the more “intelligent” an AI system can become. But we need guardrails.

Remove barriers and create a legal and policy environment that supports AI so that the responsible development and use of AI is not inadvertently derailed.”