Biden administration holds first White House AI council meeting

Members of the Biden administration met to discuss how to implement President Biden’s artificial intelligence (AI) executive order Tuesday for the inaugural meeting of the White House AI Council, according to an official.  

During the meeting, the officials received a classified intelligence briefing from the president’s national security team to discuss the international dimensions and capability of AI, according to the White House official.  

The group, which included members of the Cabinet, such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, also discussed ways to bring talent and expertise into the government, how to safety test for new models, and ways to prevent risks associated with AI — such as fraud, discrimination and privacy risks, according to the official.  

The group also discussed the new U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute, announced by the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) last month.  

Other attendees included Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, deputy chief of staff Bruce Reed, acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Arati Prabhakar.  

The White House AI Council will meet regularly, according to the White House official. It was created as part of Biden’s sweeping executive order on AI. 

The order also included new standards for safety and for reporting information to the federal government about the testing, and subsequent results, of models that pose risks to national security, economic security or public health.