On October 30, 2024, the White House issued the Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, a framework designed to guide the U.S. Government as it transitions into an AI-powered world. As we look across the landscape one year later, we applaud the progress and are taking stock of the work that remains to build a market where AI tools can be safely and effectively leveraged far into the future.
A statement from Enveil CEO Ellison Anne Williams:
“As the Artificial Intelligence market continues to expand exponentially on a global scale, it is critical that leaders support efforts to drive the safe, responsible, and trustworthy use of these technologies. That support includes crafting directives, policies, and budgets that will advance Secure AI efforts.
When we look at the landscape exactly one year after the AI Executive Order, it is encouraging to see the progress made by agencies across the federal government, including the recently released National Security Memorandum on Artificial Intelligence. However, all of these actions should be only the beginning. It is important to move forward with a continued commitment to creating an environment where AI risks are acknowledged, privacy is respected, and security is foundational.
Responsible AI innovation requires action — and action requires resources. Now is the time to demonstrate global AI leadership by bolstering legislative and regulatory actions, and funding tools and technologies that prioritize privacy and security. Dedicating resources to the adoption of technology-enabled solutions, such as Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs), will help ensure that the protection of models and workflows is foundational, safeguarding the vast amount of sensitive data used during AI training.
We applaud the U.S. Government’s continued acknowledgement of the power of PETs as well as its efforts working alongside tech leaders, academics, and entrepreneurs to advance the adoption of these technologies. Prioritizing the safe, secure, and responsible use of AI — and providing the funding necessary to sustain its advancement — will ensure the impact of these transformative tools far into the future.”
Highlighting the AI Executive Order Impact
At the heart of the action-oriented Executive Order were tasks delegated to more than 50 unique federal entities, with many more agencies providing supporting functions. This included some 150 unique requirements that ranged from developing guidelines or frameworks to conducting studies, creating task forces, issuing recommendations, implementing policies, and, where appropriate, engaging in rule making.
Highlights of those achievements to date:
- Tasked to “identify ongoing work and potential opportunities to incorporate privacy-enhancing technologies (“PETs”) into the operations of agencies,” the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) launched a $23 million initiative to promote the implementation of PETs to accelerate their use across AI use cases.
- The White House issued a National Security Memorandum on Artificial Intelligence that tasks intelligence community agencies to prioritize research on AI safety and trustworthiness, including Privacy Enhancing Technologies.
- The NSF also created a Research Coordination Network (RCN) dedicated to advancing privacy research and, in particular, the development, deployment, and scaling of PETs. The RCN will serve as a platform to enable privacy researchers to share information, coordinate and collaborate in research, and develop standards for the privacy-research community.
- NIST released the “Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework: Generative Artificial Intelligence Profile,” and continues to work to establish guidelines to enable safe, secure, and trustworthy AI, including the use of PETs.
- The U.S. Secretary of Commerce created the U.S. AI Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC), which will serve as a platform to unite AI creators and users, academics, government and industry researchers, and civil society organizations in support of the development and deployment of safe and trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI). The consortium is housed under the U.S. AI Safety Institute (USAISI).
Preparing for the Road Ahead
To continue learning about the importance of Secure AI and the critical role Privacy Enhancing Technologies play in advancing these critical business and mission-enabling outcomes, check out these resources:
