White House Adviser: AI Promises Progress But Requires Regulation

The time for regulating AI is now, according to Biden’s top tech adviser.

Key takeaways: Arati Prabhakar, director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), views AI as a pressing issue with both promising and concerning implications:

• As the president’s chief science and tech adviser, Prabhakar is helping guide the White House’s approach to AI safety and regulation, including Biden’s executive order from last fall.
• While excited about AI’s potential to accelerate progress in areas like health, climate, and public missions, Prabhakar stresses the need to manage AI’s risks in order to harness its benefits.
• She highlights the breadth of AI applications, each with a “bright side and a dark side,” necessitating a nuanced approach to governance that goes beyond simply corralling core technologies.

The evolving role of federal R&D: Prabhakar discusses the historical pendulum swing between public and private sector R&D investment and its impact on innovation:

• Federal R&D plays a critical role in supporting public missions, laying the foundation for private sector growth, and educating students, even as private investment has surpassed public funding in recent decades.
• Prabhakar emphasizes the importance of maintaining robust federal R&D to address new challenges and aspirations in areas like national security, economic opportunity, and climate change.

Navigating AI governance challenges: The OSTP director delves into the complexities of regulating AI technologies while upholding fundamental values:

• Prabhakar frames AI governance as a systems problem requiring action from government, companies, and civil society to mitigate risks and accelerate responsible development.
• She highlights the tension between protecting free speech and preventing AI-enabled harms like deepfakes and online harassment, noting the need for legislative action and industry cooperation.
• Prabhakar also discusses the unresolved legal questions around intellectual property rights and fair use in the context of AI training data.

Revitalizing the semiconductor industry: Reflecting on her background in semiconductor research, Prabhakar shares insights on the CHIPS Act and efforts to secure US leadership in chip manufacturing:

• The $52 billion CHIPS Act aims to bring leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing back to the US, reducing supply chain vulnerabilities and creating domestic jobs.
• Prabhakar highlights the strategic importance of coupling manufacturing capacity with sustained R&D investments to ensure long-term competitiveness in the semiconductor industry.

Looking ahead: As the OSTP works to nurture America’s innovation ecosystem, Prabhakar identifies emerging areas with transformative potential:

• Beyond the ongoing biological revolution, she points to advancements in the social sciences, powered by data and AI, as a frontier with significant implications for understanding individual and societal behaviors.
• Prabhakar emphasizes the need to anticipate and navigate the bright and dark sides of these emerging capabilities to build a better future.