Rebooting Democracy - News That Caught Our Eye #2: January 30th, 2024

Published on January 1, 1970

Summary

Week #2 of our weekly news download. We created this resource to highlight the updates, research, and change-making that caught our eye, stories related to ways in which AI is transforming governance and deepening democracy.

News That Caught Our Eye

Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces Key AI Actions Following President Biden’s Landmark Executive Order

on January 29, 2024 in The White House

The Biden-Harris Administration is making and publicizing strides in their AI regulation efforts, following President Biden's Executive Order in October. Yesterday’s press release announced almost 30 accomplishments from the executive, ranging from the launch of the NAIRR [more further down] and an AI hiring task force to new safety and risk mechanisms for AI innovators. Notable here: the announcement reaffirms the Executive Order’s directive for the U.S. National Science Foundation to fund and launch AI-focused Engines within 150 days.

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News That Caught Our Eye

AI companies will need to start reporting their safety tests to the US government

Josh Boak on January 29, 2024 in AP News

Heads up, AI companies. The Biden administration is rolling out new rules for AI developers to share safety test results with the government, a key part of President Biden's recent executive order. This move aims to ensure AI systems are safe before public release, with the White House AI Council keeping tabs on the progress and the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology playing a central role in oversight.

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News That Caught Our Eye

Want to Learn AI? AI Will Teach You

Isabelle Bousquette on January 29, 2024 in The Wall Street Journal

Companies are finally realizing the need to get their employees up to snuff on AI. Some are quickly adopting AI-powered tools themselves for employee training, with Coursera leading the way using its AI chatbot, Coach, for personalized learning. This trend is catching on in big firms like Johnson & Johnson and Cisco, who are using AI tutors and algorithms to customize training. These tools enhance interactivity and are better tailored to individual learning needs.

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News That Caught Our Eye

DISA plots 'concierge AI' to help staffers

Edward Graham on January 29, 2024 in Government Executive

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is exploring artificial intelligence applications, including a "concierge AI" tool, to enhance their workforce capabilities. This AI initiative, part of DISA's emerging technology strategy, will process and utilize data from various sources to assist staff in their tasks as a digital assistant, improving efficiency and response times. They're still ironing out the kinks, especially on safe data handling, but like many government agencies, the DISA is keen on making AI a big part of their future work processes.

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News That Caught Our Eye

Researchers Say the Deepfake Biden Robocall Was Likely Made With Tools From AI Startup ElevenLabs

Dale Denwalt on January 25, 2024 in The Oklahoman

Oklahoma's considering using AI for some state government jobs, aiming to boost efficiency and reduce workforce size. The idea is to let AI handle repetitive tasks – something we’ve seen great success with – and allow public sector employees to focus on the very “human” aspects of their work.

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News That Caught Our Eye

National Science Foundation rolls out NAIRR pilot with industry, agency support

Madison Alter on January 24, 2024 in FedScoop

In a promising new partnership between the public and the government, the Biden administration has launched their new AI initiative: the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), which has the stated goal of aiming to ‘democratize’ access to AI research. The National Science Foundation-coordinated pilot aims to open up AI research to more researchers, offering resources and tools that are usually pretty pricey and require huge processing power. This move aims to keep the U.S. at the forefront of AI innovation, making it easier for researchers to dive into AI without breaking the bank.

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