White House memo aims to kickstart AI, particularly in areas of national security

A new White House national security memo (NSM) builds on last year’s Executive Order on AI and calls for the U.S. government to act quickly to the use of AI capabilities in service of national security. It also specifies actions to improve the security and diversity of chip supply chains, among other directives.

The NSM states, “If the United States government does not act with responsible speed and in partnership with industry, civil society, and academia to make use of AI capabilities in service of the national security mission—and to ensure the safety, security, and trustworthiness of American AI innovation writ large—it risks losing ground to strategic competitors.”

The NSM specifies these actions:

• Prepare an analysis of the AI talent market in the U.S. and overseas (within 180 days),
• Coordinate an economic assessment of the relative competitive advantage of the U.S. private sector AI ecosystem, the key sources of the U.S. private sector’s competitive advantage, and possible risks to that position, and recommend policies to mitigate them (within 180 days), and
• Convene appropriate executive departments and agencies to explore actions for prioritizing and streamlining administrative processing operations for all visa applicants working with sensitive technologies (within 90 days). 

The memo addresses the issue of espionage aimed at stealing U.S. technology. It makes “collection on our competitors’ operations against our AI sector a top-tier intelligence priority and directs relevant U.S. Government entities to provide AI developers with timely cybersecurity and counterintelligence information necessary to keep their inventions secure.”

The NSM also suggests that the U.S. government’s organizational and informational infrastructure among agencies should be restructured to eliminate agency silos that impede the flow of AI innovations. “AI is likely to affect almost all domains with national security significance, and its use cannot be relegated to a single institutional silo,” states the NSM. “The increasing generality of AI means that many functions … may, going forward, be better fulfilled by systems that, at least in part, rely on a shared, multi-purpose AI capability.”

Additionally, the NSM advocates for allowing noncitizens highly skilled in AI and related fields to enter and work in the U.S., saying that this policy “constitutes a national security priority.” The memo states that, consistent with this goal, “… the Department of State, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall each use all available legal authorities to assist in attracting and rapidly bringing to the U.S. individuals with relevant technical expertise who would improve U.S. competitiveness in AI and related fields, such as semiconductor design and production.”

NOTE: National security concerns are just one of the important ways generative AI is impacting your economy now and in the future. Check out our article in this issue of the Digest describing the plenary session at our upcoming conference where we will explore AI and regional innovation policy more closely.