Apple Signs Biden Administration’s Commitment for AI Safety

Apple has signed onto the Biden administration’s voluntary commitments regarding the safe development of artificial intelligence (AI), joining 15 other companies that have done so since last year.

“Today, the administration announced that Apple has signed onto the voluntary commitments, further cementing these commitments as cornerstones of responsible AI innovation,” the White House said in a Friday (July 26) fact sheet.

The White House first announced these voluntary commitments in July 2023, saying they aim to help move toward safe, secure and transparent development of AI technology.

At that time, seven companies signed on: Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI.

The commitments include a range of measures designed to better understand the risks and ethical implications of new technologies while providing greater transparency and restricting the potential for misuse, the White House said.

“Companies that are developing these emerging technologies have a responsibility to ensure their products are safe,” the White House said in a July 21, 2023, fact sheet announcing the voluntary commitments. “To make the most of AI’s potential, the Biden-Harris Administration is encouraging this industry to uphold the highest standards to ensure that innovation doesn’t come at the expense of Americans’ rights and safety.”

In September, another eight companies signed onto the voluntary commitments: Adobe, Cohere, IBM, Nvidia, Palantir, Salesforce, Scale AI and Stability, the White House said in a Sept. 12, 2023, fact sheet.

After the announcement of the first round of voluntary commitments in July 2023, observers noted that many of the practices agreed to were already in place at many AI companies and don’t represent new regulations, PYMNTS reported at the time.

The commitment to self-regulation also drew criticism from consumer groups, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).

“While EPIC appreciates the Biden Administration’s use of its authorities to place safeguards on the use of artificial intelligence, we both agree that voluntary commitments are not enough when it comes to Big Tech,” Caitriona Fitzgerald, deputy director at EPIC, said in a July 21, 2023, statement. “Congress and federal regulators must put meaningful, enforceable guardrails in place to ensure the use of AI is fair, transparent, and protects individuals’ privacy and civil rights.”