White House updates policies on federal AI use and procurement
These policies aim to streamline bureaucratic processes, enhance efficiency, and ensure public trust while maintaining strong protections for privacy and civil rights.
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released two revised policies to advance the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) within federal agencies, in line with President Trump’s Executive Order 14179, ‘Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence.’
Key highlights
- Accelerating federal use of AI through innovation, governance, and public trust (M-25-21):
- Objective: Encourages agencies to integrate AI technologies to enhance efficiency and service delivery while ensuring robust safeguards for privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.
- Requirements: Agencies must establish risk management practices for high-impact AI applications, including pre-deployment testing and continuous monitoring.
- Driving efficient acquisition of AI in government (M-25-22):
- Objective: Streamlines the procurement process for AI technologies, promoting performance-based contracting and thorough market research to ensure effective AI acquisitions.
- Requirements: Agencies are advised to use performance-based techniques to define AI system requirements and assess vendor claims, aiming for acquisitions that meet mission needs and enhance interoperability.
These policy updates reflect the administration’s commitment to fostering American innovation in AI, reducing bureaucratic obstacles, and enhancing the government’s technological capabilities. Lynne Parker, Principal Deputy Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, stated that the revised memos provide essential guidance on AI adoption and procurement, aiming to make agencies more efficient and support a competitive American AI marketplace.
The OMB emphasises that these policies are designed to balance the promotion of AI innovation with the protection of individual rights, ensuring that AI technologies are implemented responsibly within the federal government.
