Former President Barack Obama has been secretly advising President Joe Biden’s White House staff on AI strategy, according to aides of the two figures.
These advisory sessions have reportedly been going on for five months, with Obama reaching out to tech companies and reporting back to West Wing staff over Zoom meetings at Biden’s request.
This all led up to Biden’s signing of an executive order on Monday to establish government oversight of artificial intelligence technology.
The order contained provisions to expand the government’s ability to invest in said technology and regulate companies engaged in AI research and development. An unnamed senior official called for the House and Senate to pass more legislation on AI due to the complex number of “events” — like privacy, safety, and “equity” — that need to be addressed. The fact that the aides held their tongues but chose now to speak about the collaboration might mean they were cleared to do so — or perhaps encouraged.
The executive order added funding for federal AI hiring programs and AI research projects to accompany the launch of a new federal government AI job board, “AI.gov.”
The anonymous aides claim this was the first time Biden asked Obama for help on a central policy dilemma. He was contacted due to his shared concern over AI and the weight he pulls in relevant industries.
The NBC report said AI keeps “both Biden and Obama up at night,” seeing it as a great technology with potential for good but also great evil “depending on how it’s used.” Biden’s White House is “particularly worried about the role AI could play in amplifying misinformation around key elections,” according to the report.
Obama addressed Biden’s executive order in a post to his Medium blog, with some harsh words for the pioneers of social media technology. “Those people created platforms that helped us connect in new and exciting ways, but they also failed to anticipate the harm their tools could do. By the time it became clear, much of the damage had already been done,” he wrote. “We can’t make the same mistake again.” Obama also recently posted a list of articles and books he has read on the issue of AI.
Earlier this week, @POTUS Biden issued an executive order on artificial intelligence – a breakthrough technology that has the power to change the world in ways we’re only beginning to understand.
I wanted to share some of the books, articles, and podcasts that have helped shape…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 3, 2023
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One of Obama’s recommended readings is a New York Times article and accompanying podcast episode on the Biden White House’s “top AI thinker” Alondra Nelson. It discusses a 70-page document of hers, termed the “Blueprint for an A.I. Bill of Rights,” which includes various proposals for making AI systems completely transparent and optional.
Obama and Biden first broached the subject over a phone call in June, then had a lunch to discuss next steps. Obama was especially helpful in providing a pathway for tech companies to sign up for a government program that will test their AI models before release, according to the aides. Obama helped persuade AI industry heads to consider other pitfalls beyond national security such as “information integrity, bias and discrimination.” Obama had contacted nonprofit organizations, academics, and researchers to prepare his advice for the White House.
“He helped really set the frame of mind that companies can innovate while also being responsible and that companies need to be accountable,” Biden White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients said.
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