US federal AI governance: Laws, policies and strategies
This resource provides a breakdown of artificial intelligence governance at the federal level, including the White House, Congress and federal agencies.
Halfway into 2023, generative artificial intelligence tools such as OpenAI's ChatGPT have achieved growing and sustained popularity. In May, chat.openai.com received about 1.8 billion visits over the previous month, with an average visit duration of eight and a half minutes.
Yet, as AI is adopted around the world, it raises as many questions as it provides answers. Chief among these questions is: How should AI be governed?
AI governance around the world
With AI making inroads into every sphere of life, lawmakers and regulators are working to regulate the technology in ways that appreciate its full range of potential effects — both the benefits and the harms. Unsurprisingly, countries have taken differing approaches to AI, each reflective of their respective legal systems, cultures and traditions.
On 11 May, European Parliament voted in favor of adopting the Artificial Intelligence Act, which, in its current form, bans or limits specific high-risk applications of AI. The law is now set for plenary adoption in June, which will trigger trilogue negotiations between Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the European Union.
In the U.K., Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan recently released a white paper, aiming to establish the U.K. as an "AI superpower." The strategy provides a framework for identifying and addressing risks presented by AI while taking a "proportionate" and "pro-innovation" approach.
In Canada, the proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act is part of a broader update to the country's information privacy laws, and is one of three pieces of legislation that comprise Bill C-27, which passed its second reading in the House of Commons in April.