2021 in review: Oversight questions loom over federal AI efforts - FedScoop

The Biden administration established several artificial intelligence bodies in 2021 likely to impact how agencies use the technology moving forward, but oversight mechanisms are lacking, experts say. Bills mandating greater accountability around AI haven't gained traction because the U.S. lacks comprehensive privacy legislation, like the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, which would serve as a foundation for regulating algorithmic systems, according to an Open Technology Institute brief published in November. Still the White House launched the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Task Force and the National AI Advisory Committee, both authorized by the National AI Initiative Act of 2020, hoping to strengthen the U.S.'s competitive position globally, which may prove a losing battle absent oversight. "Right now most advocates and experts in the space are really looking to the EU as the place that's laying the groundwork for these kinds of issues," Spandana Singh, policy analyst at OTI, told FedScoop. "And the U.S. is kind of lagging behind because it hasn't been able to identify a more consolidated approach."