Biden administration urges US agencies to ‘harness’ AI systems for national security

The Biden administration is encouraging government agencies to seize on the most advanced artificial intelligence systems to maintain an edge over its rivals and boost national security.

The new directive is part of the first-ever national security memorandum (NSM) on AI, issued by President Biden on Thursday morning.

“The NSM’s fundamental premise is that advances at the frontier of AI will have significant implications for national security and foreign policy in the near future,” senior administration officials told reporters

Pointing to foreign adversaries including China, a senior administration official said a “failure” by the U.S. to take advantage of AI could put the nation at risk of a “strategic surprise.”

“There are very clear national security applications of artificial intelligence, including in areas like cybersecurity and counterintelligence, not to mention the broad array of logistics and other activities that support military operations,” the official said on a call previewing the memo.

“Because countries like China recognize similar opportunities to modernize and revolutionize their own military and intelligence capabilities using artificial intelligence, it’s particularly imperative that we accelerate our national security community’s adoption and use of cutting-edge AI capabilities to maintain our competitive edge,” they added.

The memo follows Biden’s sweeping executive order issued last year on AI and managing its risks. Part of that order required the creation of a memo to outline the use of AI in national security agencies and how they can address the risks and benefits of the technology.

The memo will serve as the “framework” for the AI Safety Insititute, which was launched within the Commerce Department as part of Biden’s order, senior administration officials said. The memo formally desinates the AI Safety Institute as the country’s primary port of contact when it comes to the emerging technology.

The conversation over guardrails on AI has permeated across government including Congress, where lawmakers have held various hearings and meetings with experts to understand the risks and benefits of the technology.

Three principles guided the memo, an official said, including the goal that the U.S. should lead the world’s development of safe and trustworthy AI and a subsequent framework for its use.

The memo directs the U.S. government to take action to improve the security and diversity of chip supply chains and provide AI developers with cybersecurity and counterintellgience to keep their inventions secure.

“Another principle is that the US should harness the most advanced AI systems with appropriate safeguards to achieve national security objectives, and we are directing that the agencies gain access to the most powerful AI systems and put them to use, which often involves substantial efforts on procurement,” the official said.

The third principle is ensuring the use of AI aligns with the government’s values, the official said. A companion document was released along with the memo to specify how agencies can and cannot use AI.

This includes guidance on how the military and other agencies can prevent AI from being irresponsibly used to cause harm, the officials added, stating there are numerous prohibited uses listed in the framework.

These uses include those that intend to illegally suppress free speech or remove human involvement in certain nuclear weapon decisions.