Biden has previously called for stronger privacy protections and for tech companies to stop collecting data. But the US--home to some of the world's biggest tech and AI companies--has so far been one of the only Western nations without clear guidance on how to protect its citizens against AI harms. Today's announcement is the White House's vision of how the US government, technology companies, and citizens should work together to hold AI accountable. However, critics say the plan lacks teeth and the US needs even tougher regulation around AI. In September, the administration announced core principles for tech accountability and reform, such as stopping discriminatory algorithmic decision-making, promoting competition in the technology sector, and providing federal protections for privacy.

The Trump administration wants to make artificial intelligence great again. We're not really sure -- the administration just announced a new AI task force that will promote American artificial intelligence efforts, but it's not yet clear what exactly this group will do. The Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence, an effort of the National Science and Technology Council, was announced at a May 10 White House event that hosted representatives from tech giants like Google, Amazon and Facebook. The announcement by Michael Kratsios, deputy chief technology officer and the president's deputy assistant, was thick with aspiration, describing how robotics efforts that have seen success -- such as "Robotics Row" in Pittsburgh -- could be used as models to spur job growth for workers hurt by automation. Yet it was thin on details of how the task force would help accomplish that.