Introduction to the AI Executive Order
The White House has unveiled its long-awaited artificial intelligence executive order, outlining a plan that reduces the scope of an initial version that was scrapped last month due to internal dissent. The new order changes the voluntary review period for government testing of AI models to within 30 days of release to the public, rather than the previously mandated 90 days.
AI industry leaders had reportedly been pushing for a 14-day review period. The order emphasizes that federal access to AI models should be subject to appropriate confidentiality, cybersecurity, insider-risk, and intellectual-property protection, use, and nondisclosure requirements.
Key Provisions of the Executive Order
The order directs industry leaders to collaborate with the government to select trusted partners who can access specially designated covered frontier models. This collaboration aims to enhance the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure and track cyber threats in a classified setting.
AI developers are instructed to work with the government to decide which models to designate and which partners to entrust. The voluntary framework explicitly states that it should not be seen as authorizing the creation of a mandatory governmental licensing, preclearance, or permitting requirement for the development, publication, release, or distribution of new AI models, including frontier models.
AI Cybersecurity Clearinghouse
The executive order mandates that executive branch officials, led by the Treasury Department, create an AI cybersecurity clearinghouse to facilitate collaboration between government, industry, and critical infrastructure operators. The order directs Treasury officials to lead an executive branch effort to scan for vulnerabilities identified by AI models and determine how to prioritize patching.
The Office of the National Cyber Director, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Office of Management and Budget are tasked with locating federal grant funding that can be used for advanced AI vulnerability detection.
Background and Reaction
The order was signed behind closed doors, following the last-minute cancellation of a public signing of the previous iteration amid internal conflict between some administration officials and former AI and crypto czar David Sacks. Sacks had expressed concerns that the provisions in the initial order could harm innovation and competitiveness with China.
The first version of the executive order had been agreed to and approved by high-ranking administration officials, with input from industry leaders like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic, before it was put on hold. The president had expressed reservations about certain aspects of the order, citing the threat posed by China.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) endorsed the provisions in the executive order, praising the measures as necessary reforms. However, he also criticized the administration for rescinding a Biden artificial intelligence EO that had similar provisions.
I salute the proposal for pre-deployment testing on a collaborative basis – just as I did when that idea was first advanced in the last administration’s EO, which was rescinded on Trump’s first day.
The president has largely directed the government to pursue an AI strategy that deemphasizes regulation. However, this approach has been debated in recent weeks as new models like Anthropic’s Mythos have emerged as significant cybersecurity threats capable of discovering and targeting zero-day vulnerabilities autonomously.
Source: The Record