Former President Barack Obama played a significant role in drafting President Joe Biden’s executive order on AI, according to aides familiar with the creation of the order, which prioritizes “equity” and “civil rights” in AI.
ABC News reports that the Biden administration’s recent executive order serving as its comprehensive policy on AI had a key collaborator that was not announced at the time — former President Barack Obama. . The executive order is supposedly designed to address the threats and opportunities presented by AI technology, but puts a woke leftist spin on the technology thanks to its prioritization of “equity,” amongst other topics.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walk through the Colonnade of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, April 11, 2022. Biden announced the finalization of new federal rules restricting so-called “ghost guns,” which allow purchasers to assemble potentially untraceable weapons from kits. Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
As Breitbart News previously reported on the executive order:
The White House says it will sent out guidance to landlords, federal contractors, federal benefits programs and others to reduce the possibility of racial and other biases in their use of AI. There will also be enforcement: the White House fact sheet on the executive order states that there will be “training, technical assistance, and coordination between the Department of Justice and Federal civil rights offices on best practices for investigating and prosecuting civil rights violations related to AI.”
Additionally, the use of AI in the criminal justice system will be a top priority, with plans to develop “best practices on the use of AI in sentencing, parole and probation, pretrial release and detention, risk assessments, surveillance, crime forecasting and predictive policing, and forensic analysis.”
Obama’s engagement with the policy’s development reportedly included discussions with AI industry leaders, focusing on the potential national security risks and the ethical challenges, such as bias and discrimination, that AI poses. Obama’s approach is part of a sustained interest in the field, dating back to a 2016 report from his presidency that examined AI’s potential to transform various aspects of society.
The dialogue between Biden and Obama on AI policy has reportedly been ongoing, with the two having regular conversations on the subject. In preparation for the policy, President Biden was briefed on AI’s capabilities, including a demonstration of Chat GPT and exposure to deepfake videos, highlighting the administration’s attempts to understand the technology they aim to regulate.
Read more at ABC News here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.