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Biden’s Homeland Security team taps tech elite for AI defense board

April 26, 2024 Coin Telegraph

Amazon

The board includes the CEOs of Adobe, Alphabet, Anthropic, AMD, AWS, IBM, Microsoft, and Nvidia, as well as other business, civil rights, and academic leaders.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced the formation of an Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board composed of a veritable who’s who of tech CEOs, academics, and influential business leaders.

Created under the direction of U.S. president Joseph Biden, the purpose of the new board is to advise DHS secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the White House on matters related to artificial intelligence. Specifically, the board will “develop recommendations to help critical infrastructure stakeholders,” and “develop recommendations to prevent and prepare for AI-related disruptions to critical services that impact national or economic security, public health, or safety.”

CEOs from Adobe, Alphabet, Anthropic, AMD, AWS, Cisco, IBM, Microsoft, Nvidia, Delta Air Lines, Humane Intelligence, Occidental Petroleum, and Northropp Gruman make up the business sector of the board. They’re joined by academics from universities, civil rights and humanitarian institutions, the mayor of Seattle, Washington, and the governor of Maryland.

US House Democratic coalition creates AI working group

August 16, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Representative Derek Kilmer will chair the Artificial Intelligence Working Group, which is aimed at introducing “sensible, bipartisan” policies for AI technology.

Democrats from the United States House of Representatives have formed a working group on artificial intelligence aimed at introducing new legislation around the nascent tech sector.

The 97-member New Democrat Coalition announced its AI working group on Aug. 15, stating it would work with President Joe Biden’s administration, stakeholders and lawmakers from both sides of the political arena to develop “sensible, bipartisan policies to address this emerging technology.”

The group will focus on a range of issues including how best to leverage AI for growth while still ensuring that workers who stand to lose their jobs as a result of AI can remain employed.

Artificial Intelligence is the biggest technological threat we've faced since the invention of the atomic bomb.

I am proud to be a part of the @NewDemCoalition's AI Working Group to assess the dangers and opportunities posed by AI and develop a framework to regulate it. https://t.co/99hGdHgb7x
— Rep. Seth Moulton (@RepMoulton) August 15, 2023

Representative Derek Kilmer will serve as chair of the AI working group and told CNBC the primary focus of the working group was to crack down on the spread of misinformation and aired concerns on advanced AI-generated deepfakes becoming increasingly prevalent online.

“There’s real concern about the potential for AI generated disinformation, real concern about misuse of advanced AI models.”

“That’s the type of thing that requires Congress to get smart and get smart fast,” Kilmer added.

Artificial intelligence is the next great frontier of technological advancement.

And we’re already seeing how breakthroughs in this emerging technology present both great opportunities and challenges with potential disruptions for workers, democracy, and national security. https://t.co/hflVef6k9Y
— Rep. Derek Kilmer (@RepDerekKilmer) August 15, 2023

Lawmakers, academics and top tech CEOs have all signaled the need to reign in on the potential dangers raised by AI.

In May, Vice President Kamala Harris, along with Biden’s top advisers, held a meeting with several AI industry CEOs to discuss concerns about the risks associated with AI.

In June, President Biden held a meeting with experts in AI in Silicon Valley to discuss a similar subject.

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Additional reporting by Felix Ng.

Pentagon forms ‘Task Force Lima’ to map generative AI for US defense

August 11, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Task Force Lima will look into how artificial intelligence can be used across the U.S. defense, including warfighting capabilities.

The United States Pentagon has launched a new task force to look into how generative artificial intelligence can be used for the nation’s defense.

On Aug. 10, the Pentagon announced the formation of “Task Force Lima” which would look into integrating AI across the U.S. defense apparatus so it can “design, deploy, and use generative AI technologies.”

In a statement, the Department of Defense said the aim is to use AI to enhance its business affairs, health, readiness, policy and warfighting capabilities.

Today, @DepSecDef signed Task Force Lima into effect. This @DeptofDefense-wide generative AI task force will examine generative AI use cases from across the federal government & develop recommendations on responsibly using these powerful tools. Learn more: https://t.co/GELM3aJqRf
— DOD Chief Digital & AI Office (@DODCDAO) August 10, 2023

Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks said part of Lima’s mission would also study how the department can defend against and respond to malicious or adversarial uses of AI.

The newly formed Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) — which launched in June 2022 — will lead the new task force, with U.S. Navy Captain Manuel Xavier Lugo named Lima’s mission commander.

Lima’s creation comes as tensions between the U.S. and China over AI technology continue to heighten.

On Aug. 9 President Joe Biden signed an executive order that named China, Hong Kong and Macau as countries of concern and tech investments in those regions would be would regulated and restricted.

Such tech investments — deemed critical for China’s military, intelligence and cyber capabilities — included semiconductors which are often vital for developing AI models.

The order adds to restrictions on AI chip sales to China that Biden implemented in October 2022 and U.S. officials are mulling tighter controls on such sales.

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Biden administration launches AI cybersecurity challenge to ‘protect Americans’

August 10, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

With an allocation of nearly $20 million in rewards, the AI Cyber Challenge brings together prominent AI enterprises such as Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI.

The Biden administration revealed an opportunity on August 9, for hackers to vie for substantial monetary rewards through the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in safeguarding vital United States infrastructure from cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

In spring, a preliminary phase will select up to 20 high-performing teams for DEF CON 2024's semifinals. Of these, a maximum of five teams will earn $2 million each and move on to DEF CON 2025's finals. The top three teams will vie for extra prizes, including a $4 million award for the best safeguarding of vital software, as stated in an official press release.

With an allocation of nearly $20 million in rewards, the AI Cyber Challenge brings together prominent AI enterprises such as Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. These industry leaders will contribute their technology to the competition, which was unveiled during the Black Hat U.S.A. hacking conference held in Las Vegas.

*Screenshot of the AI Cyber Challenge press release. Source: The White House*

Participants will be requested to publicly share the inner workings of their systems, enabling broader utilization of their solutions. Additionally, guidance for the challenge is provided by the Open Source Security Foundation, a division of the Linux Foundation.

The organizing body of the competition, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has committed to offering financial support of up to $1 million to seven small enterprises aiming to join the competition, thus ensuring a diverse range of participants.

The use of hacking competitions to foster innovation is not a new approach for the government. Back in 2014, DARPA initiated the Cyber Grand Challenge, aimed at creating an open-source automated defense system capable of safeguarding computers against cyber threats. The present two-year challenge follows a comparable framework to this prior initiative.

The contest shows that there are official efforts to deal with a new threat that experts are working to fully understand. In the past year, several U.S. companies have created different AI tools, like ChatGPT, that let users make realistic videos, images, texts and code.

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Two more crypto bills in the US: Law Decoded, July 17–24

July 24, 2023 Coin Telegraph

CFTC

Last week was marked by two new legislative initiatives for the crypto industry in the United States.

Last week was marked by two new legislative initiatives for the crypto industry in the United States. Senator Jack Reed sponsored a bipartisan bill that would tighten Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations and sanctions requirements for decentralized finance (DeFi). The bill would subject DeFi operations to the same requirements as “other financial companies, including centralized crypto trading platforms, casinos, and even pawn shops.”

Two major crypto lobbying groups slammed the legislation: Coin Center and the Blockchain Association. The former released separate statements describing the legislation as a “messy,” “unworkable” and “unconstitutional” way of regulating DeFi. Kristin Smith, the CEO of the Blockchain Association, echoed Coin Center’s concerns and described the new legislation as redundant. Smith said federal law enforcement agencies already have the tools and expertise to combat this “relatively small but important issue.”

Republican House Agriculture and House Financial Services Committee members introduced the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act. The bill gives the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) jurisdiction over digital commodities, clarifies the authority of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and creates a process for digital assets deemed initially securities to be sold as commodities. Representatives French Hill and Dusty Johnson, who are among the bill’s cosponsors, sent a letter to SEC Chair Gary Gensler a day before the bill’s introduction criticizing the agency’s so-called “regulation by enforcement” of the crypto industry.

Multiple spot crypto ETF applications go to Federal Register

Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications from several firms have been published in the Federal Register, moving them one step along in the SEC process. The Federal Register received notices of proposed rule changes allowing Bitcoin ETF applications from BlackRock, Fidelity, Invesco Galaxy, VanEck and WisdomTree. Publishing the applications in the official journal of the U.S. government gives the SEC a window of opportunity to accept or reject the request, extend the time allowed or open the application for public comment.

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Kuwait bans crypto and virtual asset transactions

The state of Kuwait is the latest jurisdiction to ban virtually all operations involving cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC). Kuwait’s main financial regulator, the Capital Markets Authority (CMA), issued a circular on the supervision and issuance of virtual assets in the country. In the circular, the CMA confirmed the commitment to “absolute prohibition” on major use cases and operations involving cryptocurrencies, including payments, investments and mining. The circular also bans local regulators from issuing licenses allowing firms to provide virtual asset services as a commercial business.

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Marathon shareholders file lawsuit against company’s top management

U.S.-based crypto mining company Marathon Digital is heading to court after its shareholders alleged that its CEO Fred Thiel, alongside other top executives, breached fiduciary duties, unjustly enriched themselves and wasted corporate assets. According to the legal team, the company’s management has been downplaying its problems, artificially inflating Marathon’s valuation, receiving excessive compensation, making lucrative insider sales, and receiving unjustifiably elevated bonuses based on false and misleading statements.

The shareholders aim to correct the company’s governance by strengthening the board’s supervision of operations, nominating at least four candidates from shareholders to the board and eliminating the previous procedure of directors’ elections.

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AI companies commit to safe and transparent AI, White House reports

July 22, 2023 Coin Telegraph

The Biden Administration emphasized the responsibility of these companies in ensuring the safety of their products.

The White House announced on July 21, that prominent artificial intelligence (AI) companies, such as OpenAI, Google and Microsoft, have made commitments to create AI technology that is safe, secure and transparent. Additionally, the White House acknowledged other companies like Amazon, Anthropic, Meta and Inflection for also committing to AI safety.

The Biden Administration emphasized the responsibility of these companies in ensuring the safety of their products. The goal is to harness AI's potential while promoting the highest standards in its development.

Kent Walker, Google's President of Global Affairs, acknowledged that achieving success in AI requires collaboration. He expressed satisfaction in joining other leading AI companies to support these commitments and assured that they will continue to work together by sharing information and best practices.

*Screenshot of the White house statement release. Source: White House*

Among the commitments are pre-release security testing for AI systems, sharing best practices in AI safety, investing in cybersecurity and insider threat safeguards and enabling third-party reporting of vulnerabilities in AI systems. Anna Makanju, OpenAI's VP of Global Affairs, stated that policymakers worldwide are contemplating new regulations for advanced AI systems.

In June, bipartisan U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill to create an AI commission, addressing concerns in the rapidly growing industry. The Biden Administration says it is collaborating with global partners like Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, the Philippines and the UK to establish an international framework for AI.

According to Microsoft President Brad Smith, the company is endorsing all of President Biden's voluntary commitments and independently committing to additional practices that align with these crucial objectives. By doing so, Microsoft aims to expand its safe and responsible AI practices and collaborate with other industry leaders.

Global leaders, including the United Nations Secretary-General, have expressed concerns about the potential misuse of generative AI and deepfake technology in conflict zones. In May, the Biden administration met with AI leaders to establish the groundwork for ethical AI development and announced a significant $140 million investment in AI research and development by the National Science Foundation.

The administration emphasized that these immediate commitments by the companies highlight the essential principles of safety, security and trust, signifying a crucial step towards the responsible development of AI.

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White House

Multiple spot crypto ETF applications go to Federal Register

Kuwait bans crypto and virtual asset transactions

Marathon shareholders file lawsuit against company’s top management

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