New White House policy mandates safeguards for federal AI use

The Office of Management and Budget issued new guidance on the government’s use of artificial intelligence on Thursday that it says is meant to establish safeguards to protect the public when the government uses AI, as well as push agencies to use the technology to their benefit. 

The new policy is one of the deliverables mandated by President Joe Biden’s executive order on AI, signed in October 2023.

“This policy is a major milestone for President Biden's landmark AI executive order,” OMB director Shalanda Young told reporters in a Wednesday press call. “The public deserves confidence that the federal government will use the technology responsibly. The policy released today is the first requiring federal agencies to adopt concrete safeguards when using AI in ways that could impact the rights or safety of the public.”

The OMB memorandum — which also fulfills requirements Congress put into law in 2020 ...