Biden's Executive Order on AI Is a Good Start, Experts Say, but Not Enough

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November 07, 2023

Last week, President Joe Biden signed an executive order addressing how the federal government should regulate artificial intelligence. Although the 20,000-word order covers a great deal of ground, experts say it is still only a first step toward preventing the potential harms associated with the rapid development of AI. This week's lead story explains what's in the new regulation, and what impact experts predict it will have.

Sophie Bushwick, Associate Editor, Technology @sophiebushwick

Policy Biden's Executive Order on AI Is a Good Start, Experts Say, but Not Enough A new executive order signed this week sets the stage for federal AI standards and requirements and moves beyond previous voluntary agreements with AI companies By Lauren Leffer

Quantum Physics New Results Reveal How to Build a Nuclear Clock Nuclear clocks could shatter timekeeping records. Now physicists are learning how to build one By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry

Policy AI Needs Rules, but Who Will Get to Make Them? Skirmishes at the U.K.'s AI Safety Summit expose tensions over how to regulate AI technology By Chris Stokel-Walker

Medicine New Portable Breast Cancer Scanner Can Fit in a Bra Scientists have developed an ultrasound device to detect aggressive breast cancer that may develop between screenings By Simon Makin

Evolution Our Evolutionary Past Can Teach Us about AI's Future Evolutionary biology offers warnings, and tips, for surviving the advent of artificial intelligence By Eliot Bush

Mental Health How a Weight-Loss Trend on TikTok Might Encourage Eating Disorders Laxative misuse is cropping up in wellness and weight-loss social media communities—and some experts are concerned about its close ties to eating disorders By Lori Youmshajekian

Endangered Species How AI Can Help Save Endangered Species Scientists are using artificial intelligence to fight biodiversity loss by analysing vast amounts of data, monitoring ecosystems and spotting trends over time By Tosin Thompson,Nature magazine

Materials Science Fungi Make Safer Fireproofing Material Scientists are now growing mycelium, the fungal root network, into fire-retardant sheets to provide a safer, nontoxic way to protect buildings By Timmy Broderick

Conservation New Wildlife Tracker Powers Itself as Animals Walk, Trot and Run A battery-free GPS may change the game for tracking elusive animals By Rachel Crowell

QUOTE OF THE DAY "In the absence of clear policies, auditable access logs, and community transparency about the capabilities and costs of Fusus, any community in which this technology is adopted should be concerned about its use and abuse." Beryl Lipton, 404 Media

FROM THE ARCHIVE Safeguarding AI Is Up to Everyone The use of artificial intelligence is so varied and industry-specific, no one federal agency can manage it alone By The Editors | September 2023

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