NTIA calls for audits and investments in trustworthy AI systems

WASHINGTON – The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) called for independent audits of high-risk AI systems as part of a series of recommendations in the AI Accountability Policy Report released today. 

The AI Accountability Policy Report is one element of NTIA’s work to meet President Biden’s commitment to seize the opportunities AI presents while managing its risks. AI accountability policies will play a key part in unleashing the potential of this technology. They will help AI system developers and deployers show that their systems work as intended, and can be trusted not to cause harm. Such assurance will in turn boost public – and marketplace – confidence in these tools.

“Responsible AI innovation will bring enormous benefits, but we need accountability to unleash the full potential of AI,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. “NTIA’s AI Accountability Policy recommendations will empower businesses, regulators, and the public to hold AI developers and deployers accountable for AI risks, while allowing society to harness the benefits that AI tools offer.”

The report calls for improved transparency into AI systems, independent evaluations to verify the claims made about these systems, and consequences for imposing unacceptable risks or making unfounded claims.

The AI Accountability Policy Report makes eight sets of policy recommendations across three categories to accomplish these goals: Guidance, Support, and Regulations.

Guidance:

• Audits and auditors: The federal government should work with stakeholders to create guidelines for AI audits and auditors.
• Disclosure: The federal government should work with stakeholders to improve standard information disclosures, such as via the creation of AI nutrition labels.
• Liability standards: The federal government should work with stakeholders to make recommendations about applying existing liability rules and standards to AI systems - including who is held accountable for AI system harms - and supplement those rules and standards as needed.

Support

• People and tools: The federal government should invest in the resources necessary to meet the national need for independent evaluations of AI systems, including by further support for the U.S. AI Safety Institute, by establishing and funding a National AI Research Resource, and other policy initiatives.
• Research: Federal government agencies should foster the creation ofreliable and widely applicable tools to assess when AI systems are being used, on what materials they were trained, and what capabilities and limitations they have.

Regulations

• Audits and other independent evaluations: Federal agencies should require independent audits and regulatory inspections of high-risk AI model classes and systems – such as those that present a high risk of harming rights or safety.
• Boosting government capacity across sectors: The federal government should strengthen its capacity to address risks and practices related to AI across sectors of the economy. This could include maintaining registries of high-risk AI deployments, AI adverse incidents, and AI system audits.
• Contracting: The federal government should require that government suppliers, contractors, and grantees adopt sound AI governance and assurance practices.

The report follows more than 1,400 comments from stakeholders and interested members of the public, who offered suggestions to create earned trust in AI systems—comments that ultimately helped to inform the final product. 

NTIA will work with private sector stakeholders to build out accountability structures, and work with other parts of government to support the policy recommendations put forward in the report.

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About the National Telecommunications and Information Administration   

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the Executive Branch agency that advises the President on telecommunications and information policy issues. NTIA’s programs and policymaking focus largely on expanding broadband Internet access and adoption in America, expanding the use of spectrum by all users, advancing public safety communications, and ensuring that the Internet remains an engine for innovation and economic growth.