The Commerce Department is looking to require reporting for AI, cloud providers

The U.S. Commerce Department said Monday it is proposing detailed reporting requirements for advanced artificial intelligence developers and cloud computing providers to ensure the technologies are secure and can withstand cyberattacks.

The proposal by the department’s Office of Industry and Security would establish mandatory reporting to the federal government of development activities for “frontier” AI models and computing clusters.

It would also require reporting on cybersecurity measures, as well as the results of so-called red teaming efforts, such as testing dangerous capabilities, including the ability to assist in cyberattacks or lowering barriers to entry for non-experts to develop chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons.

External red teaming has been used for years in cyber security to identify new risks, the term referring to US Cold War simulations in which the enemy was called the “red team”.

Generative artificial intelligence – which can create text, photos and video in response to unlimited requests – has sparked excitement as well as fears that it could make some jobs obsolete, overturn elections and potentially overtake humans and have effects catastrophic.

Commerce said the information collected under the proposal “will be vital to ensuring that these technologies meet strict security and reliability standards, can withstand cyberattacks, and have a limited risk of misuse by foreign adversaries or non-state actors.”

President Joe Biden signed an executive order in October 2023 requiring developers of AI systems that pose risks to US national security, the economy, public health or safety to share the results of safety tests with the US government before they are released to the public .

The rule would establish reporting requirements for advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models and computing clusters.

The regulatory push comes as legislative action in Congress on AI has stalled.

Earlier this year, BIS conducted a pilot survey of AI developers. The Biden administration has taken a number of steps to prevent China from using American technology for artificial intelligence, as the burgeoning sector raises security concerns.

Major cloud providers include Amazon.com, Alphabet’s Google Cloud and Microsoft’s Azure unit.

TOPICS
InsurTech Data-driven artificial intelligence