National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee (NAIAC)

History

2021: US authorities set up AI committee

In mid-September 2021, the US Department of Commerce began actively recruiting candidates to work on the newly formed National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee (NAIAC), where they will inform President Joe Biden and the agency on issues related to emerging technologies in this area.

At least nine members of the committee will serve on it up to two-year and three-year consecutive terms. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is mandated to provide administrative support to the high-level panel.

The US Department of Commerce has created an AI committee, it will inform President Joe Biden about new technologies

The ways in which agencies implement developing opportunities vary, but to some extent they are guided by the National AI Initiative Act of 2020. The law includes many provisions, including the financing of federal investments in the next 5 years, the development of a wider national AI strategy, and the creation of this new committee. In particular, the law instructs the group to provide federal leaders with recommendations on competition, science and research, labor resources, equity, strategy implementation and other AI-related issues.

AI provides a huge opportunity to solve the largest problems of our time, strengthen our technological competitiveness and is an engine of growth in almost every sector of the economy. But we must be thoughtful, creative and wise in addressing the challenges that accompany these new technologies. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring that President Biden's comprehensive commitment to advancing equality and racial justice extends to our development and use of AI technologies, said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The NAIAC will consider candidates for leading experts from a wide range of AI-related disciplines. Once included in NAIAC, they will have to provide top government officials with their views on ethics, standards, education, civil rights implications, technology transfer, commercial applications, research and development, and security.

Like any federal advisory committee, NAIAC should have federal staff to organize, promote, and support its meetings. The acceptance of applications for the nomination of members of the committee will end on October 25, 2021. The Department of Commerce also accepts applications for members to form a Subcommittee on AI and Enforcement.^[1]

Notes