AI Executive Order Addresses Important Priorities but Needs More Work

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tom Quaadman, Executive Vice President of the U.S. Chamber’s Technology Engagement Center, issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence. 

“The United States faces stiff competition from China in AI development. This competition is so fierce that it is unclear which nation will emerge as the global leader, raising significant security concerns for the United States and its allies. It is imperative for the United States to lead the effort to create a risk-based AI regulatory and policy framework that is reinforced by industry standards and promotes the safe and responsible development and use of this transformational technology. The Biden Administration’s AI Executive Order is a step towards achieving that goal, but more work needs to be done.

“The Chamber appreciates the priorities outlined in the Executive Order, such as attracting highly skilled workers, bolstering resources needed for intra-government coordination, and speeding up the development of standards.

“However, substantive and process problems still exist. Short overlapping timelines for agency-required action endangers necessary stakeholder input, thereby creating conditions for ill-informed rulemaking and degrading intra-government cooperation. Finally, agencies such as the FTC and CFPB, should not view this as a license to do as they please—all agencies must continue to act within the limits of their Congressional mandates and abide by the Major Questions Doctrine as articulated by the Supreme Court.

“The U.S. Chamber’s Commission on AI Competitiveness, Inclusion, and Innovation and AI Working Group have been at the forefront in providing the federal government a roadmap for achieving an AI regulatory framework that optimizes the benefits of the technology and mitigates its potential risks. We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress to ensure American technological leadership, the safeguarding of America’s national security and values, and the enabling of responsible AI leadership at scale.”