U.S. Energy Department Announces Efforts to Advance Trustworthy Usage of AI

The U.S. Energy Department on Oct. 30 highlighted its efforts to ensure trustworthy development of artificial intelligence, or AI. A memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year with the U.S. Commerce Department facilitates collaboration on safety research, development, testing, analysis and examination of innovative AI systems and models.

On Oct. 24, the Biden Administration issued its first National Security Memorandum, or NSM, on artificial intelligence, designating the U.S. AI Safety Institute at the National Institute of Standards and Technology as a central hub for the government’s AI safety initiatives. The NSM emphasizes the Energy Department’s substantial role in assessing and mitigating AI safety risks while enhancing the performance and reliability of AI systems. The NSM calls for robust and effective steps to ensure the U.S. leads the world in the expansion of safe, secure and trustworthy AI, make use of innovative AI systems and technologies to advance the nation’s national security mission and develop international consensus and governance around AI.

In addition to enabling combined research efforts and knowledge sharing, the agreement allows the U.S. Energy Department and its National Laboratories to provide the US AISI and National Institute of Standards and Technology with their expert knowledge and technical capacity, in order to advance the science of AI Safety.

Through this memorandum of understanding, the departments plan to analyze and examine the effect of AI models on public safety, including risks to critical infrastructure, national security and energy security.  Vital focal points include mitigating security risks, including risks related to dangerous biological materials, software vulnerabilities, and foreign actors’ efforts to develop AI for harmful tenacities.