Comments to the OSTP Regarding National Priorities For Artificial Intelligence
The Center for Data Innovation has submitted comments to the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) in response to its request for information on national priorities for AI.
We commend OSTP for recognizing the importance of developing a national AI strategy. As we wrote in our 2018 report Why the United States Needs a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and What It Should Look Like, a national AI strategy is necessary to bolster U.S. competitiveness, strengthen national security, and maximize the societal benefits that the country could derive from AI. We support OSTP in its ongoing work in this area and offer responses to the following questions:
- What specific measures–such as standards, regulations, investments, and improved trust and safety practices–are needed to ensure that AI systems are designed, developed, and deployed in a manner that protects people’s rights and safety? Which specific entities should develop and implement these measures?
- Are there forms of voluntary or mandatory oversight of AI systems that would help mitigate risk? Can inspiration be drawn from analogous or instructive models of risk management in other sectors, such as laws and policies that promote oversight through registration, incentives, certification, or licensing?
- How does AI affect the United States’ commitment to cut greenhouse gases by 50-52% by 2030, and the Administration’s objective of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050? How does it affect other aspects of environmental quality?
- What are the opportunities for AI to enhance equity and how can these be fostered? For example, what are the potential benefits for AI in enabling broadened prosperity, expanding economic and educational opportunity, increasing access to services, and advancing civil rights?
- What steps can the United States take to ensure that all individuals are equipped to interact with AI systems in their professional, personal, and civic lives?
- What will the principal benefits of AI be for the people of the United States? How can the United States best capture the benefits of AI across the economy, in domains such as education, health, and transportation? How can AI be harnessed to improve consumer access to and reduce costs associated with products and services? How can AI be used to increase competition and lower barriers to entry across the economy?
- How can the Federal Government effectively and responsibly leverage AI to improve Federal services and missions? What are the highest priority and most cost-effective ways to do so?
