The announcement builds on the sweeping AI executive order issued by President Biden on Monday. It comes amid a larger push by the administration to establish the U.S. as a global leader in the rapidly advancing technology.
The administration plans to launch a new AI Safety Institute within the Department of Commerce focused on creating standards to test the safety of AI models, Harris announced Wednesday.
The White House also released draft policy guidance for the U.S. government’s use of the technology.
“President Biden and I reject the false choice that suggests we can either protect the public or advance innovation,” Harris said from London, site of the Global Summit for AI Safety this week.
“We can and we must do both,” she added. “The actions we take today will lay the groundwork for how AI will be used in the years to come.”
Harris also touted the 30 countries that have endorsed America’s declaration on the responsible use of military AI capabilities.
The vice president also highlighted $200 million the administration has secured in philanthropic funding for initiatives to advance AI in the “public interest.”
Back in Washington, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) held the latest in a series of AI Insight Forums Wednesday, focusing on the impacts of AI on the workforce and “high impact” areas like health care and finance.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
