Federal agencies would be required to install chief artificial intelligence officers (CAIOs) to preside over the deployment of AI technology under bipartisan legislation now in the U.S. House and Senate.
Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., announced a bill June 14 as a companion to a Senate version introduced in 2023.
We’ve rounded up articles from SHRM Online and other outlets to provide more context on the news.
Oversight Responsibility
The legislation would codify the CAIO position as outlined in a recent executive order and corresponding memo from the Biden administration.
Under the order and memo, CAIOs serve as the senior advisor on AI technology to the leader of each agency. They oversee the agency’s compliance with risk management requirements and are tasked with removing barriers to the responsible use of AI in the agency.
In addition to requiring a new leadership position, the bill would require that agencies develop an AI strategy.
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White House Issues Executive Order on AI
President Joe Biden signed a first-of-its-kind executive order in October 2023 on the development of AI. The order required the tech industry to develop safety and security standards, introduced new consumer and worker protections, and assigned federal agencies a to-do list to oversee the rapidly progressing technology.
OMB Directs Agencies to Mitigate Risks of Using AI
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published its first governmentwide AI policy on March 28, setting out how agencies publicly report on how they’re using AI, the risks involved, and how the agencies are managing those risks. Senior administration officials said the OMB’s guidance will give agency leaders, such as CAIOs and AI governance boards, the information they need to assess their use of AI tools, identify flaws, prevent biased or discriminatory results, and suggest improvements.
Emergence of the Chief AI Officer
As companies increasingly add CAIOs to their roster of senior executives, questions about this brand-new role arise.
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