The Biden Administration recently released a new set of recommendations for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the nation’s critical infrastructure, including power grids, transportation systems, and communication networks. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is optimistic about the framework’s ability to create a better future:
“AI offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve the strength and resilience of U.S. critical infrastructure, and we must seize it while minimizing its potential harms,” Mayorkas wrote. “The Framework, if widely adopted, will go a long way to better ensure the safety and security of critical services that deliver clean water, consistent power, internet access, and more.”
The framework is a result of collaboration between private industry and government officials and was designed in consultation with the Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board, a group of leaders in the field of AI. In other words, its advice is based on first-hand experience in the AI industry.
Comprehensive in scope, the framework provides guidance to entities across the AI supply chain:
- Cloud computing companies like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services
- AI developers like OpenAI and Anthropic
- Critical infrastructure owners and operators—air traffic control, for example
- Civil society organizations, including (universities and research institutions
- Public sector entities like local, state, and federal governments and agencies
The recommendations aim to address three AI vulnerabilities in the critical infrastructure that threaten the nation’s security and safety: AI-powered attacks, assaults on AI systems, and development and implementation failures. The document also offers solutions to the lack of standardization in AI deployment, gaps in physical security, and the siloing of key information between industries.
The recommendations are voluntary. Private companies can choose not to follow them, but the DHS is hopeful that they will see widespread adoption—especially since AI leaders helped design them and will likely promote them to their peers. The creators are aware of the fast-paced evolution of AI and expect it to be a living document that can adapt alongside changes in AI and industry.
So far, the document has received support from both the public and private sectors. “We support this framework as a vital step toward shaping the future of AI in a safe and sustainable manner,” Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff wrote.
However, like all government recommendations, there will likely be pushback. And whether the Trump administration will keep or toss out the framework is up in the air, though he’s already promised to repeal it. Regardless, it’s a promising sign to see tech leaders and government officials working together to ensure AI’s safe creation and integration.