Biden's Budget Proposes Major AI Investments for Federal Agencies
According to Isabel Gottlieb and Lauren Turenchalk's recent Bloomberg Law piece, the Biden administration's fiscal year 2025 budget contains significant financing for artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives across multiple federal agencies. The proposed budget seeks to use AI to improve nuclear proliferation monitoring, road traffic safety, and border control, among other efforts.
The Department of Energy is set to receive a sizable share of the budget, with $455 million dedicated to improve computing capacity and handle AI-related concerns. Meanwhile, the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology is set to receive $65 million to build a US AI Safety Institute. This new institution would focus on providing regulators with assistance on crucial topics such as AI content watermarking and algorithmic discrimination mitigation.
The budget also calls for the creation of chief AI officer roles in numerous agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture, Labor, Homeland Security, and Treasury. These individuals would be in charge of ensuring the responsible use of AI and the implementation of technology to improve government services. This measure is part of a larger government effort to embrace the benefits of AI while ensuring proper protections are in place.
Additional AI initiatives outlined in the budget include integrating AI with the nation's agriculture sector to boost productivity, establishing a new AI policy office at the Labor Department, and increasing funding for the Office of Automation Safety to address vehicle cybersecurity risks associated with AI. The Department of Defense, Education Department, Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Department of Veterans Affairs will also receive funding for a variety of AI projects, ranging from developing and implementing AI technologies to addressing AI's risks in healthcare, housing discrimination, and veteran's care.
It is vital to emphasize that the budget is currently only a wish list and must be approved by Congress before it can become law. The suggestions come as lawmakers are actively working on laws to regulate AI without impeding innovation. The Biden administration's budget demonstrates a commitment to using AI for the greater good while managing the ethical and safety hurdles faced by this fast emerging technology.