On Tuesday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee became the latest governor to sign it. presidential order When you ask your agency to develop new policies for state government, you can use generative AI to study how that technology will impact your state’s workforce, educational institutions, and vulnerable populations. can.
Inslee’s order A press release from his office says he is following California’s generative AI policy efforts and is ordering new research into the potential benefits the technology could bring to the state, while also The company is also considering potential pitfalls, such as the possibility of further disadvantages. different demographic groups. The order outlines the state’s policy work for the coming year, including setting several deadlines around the end of the year for the creation of new reports, partnerships and policies.
The executive order states that Washington state’s goal is to develop a “transparent and consistent environment for the use of generative AI.”
“Our goal is to ensure that the state continues to use generative AI in ways that help its citizens while putting guardrails around uses that carry many risks,” said Katie Ruckle, Washington state’s chief privacy officer. We want to help them do that,” the state said in a press release. Meanwhile, Inslee said it is “our state’s duty to its citizens to be thorough and thoughtful about how we deploy these powerful new tools.”
Inslee became the 10th governor to sign an executive order to help the state weather the wave of generative AI without wiping it out. Concerns surrounding the technology range from generative AI’s ability to further widen social disparities in access to technology to disruptive threats such as excessive disinformation campaigns and unplanned threats, Inslee’s office said. Wide variety. Democratization of weapons research.
Mr. Inslee’s order states that generative AI could enhance risks, including risks to public health, safety, and fundamental rights through “biometrics, critical infrastructure, employment, health care, law enforcement, and government.” Several examples of “high risk” threats are listed. of democratic processes. ” The order cites the need to catalog and mitigate “potential risks.” [generative AI’s] Uses including, but not limited to, privacy, cyberattacks, disinformation, deception, discrimination or bias. ”
Among the deliverables mandated by Inslee’s latest order is a report scheduled to be submitted in September by the state’s technology arm, Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech). WaTech is tasked with working with the Governor’s Cabinet to explore ways to use generative AI and develop guidelines for how government agencies can purchase, use, and monitor the technology.
The order also calls for new policies for training, equity, and economic development. It orders WaTech and the state Department of Enterprise Services to develop procurement guidelines for government agencies purchasing products that use generative AI. The order calls for state AI procurement guidelines to be based on the National Institute of Science and Technology’s AI Risk Management Framework and the White House’s AI Acquisition Guidelines. AI Bill of Rights, a 2022 document that will explore topics such as data privacy and algorithmic discrimination. The guidelines should also include new requirements for vendors selling “high-risk” generative AI systems to demonstrate that they have implemented an AI governance program that complies with NIST’s AI framework.
By January, Enterprise Services, WaTech and the Office of Equity also plan to train state employees on how to use generative AI, considering its potential benefits and risks such as bias and new cybersecurity threats to their work. must be submitted.
By December, WaTech and the Office of Equity must work with community members and other state agencies to develop guidelines for agencies to analyze how generative AI impacts “vulnerable communities.” be. WaTech is also tasked with establishing an ongoing process that includes academics, industry experts, and “representatives from advocacy groups representing communities that are disproportionately harmed by algorithmic bias.”
The Office of Integrity has until September to introduce a framework for the “fair, ethical and impartial use” of generative AI.
There are also several additional deadlines targeting impacts on state employee workforce and training.
“Today’s action puts Washington state at the forefront of policy action on this important 21st century challenge,” Inslee said. “The work we will do next year around generative AI will be another example of how the Evergreen State is also the State of Always Forward.”