Event summary

Cooley special counsel Grant Schweikert attended this panel discussion hosted by Booz Allen and Fast Company, where federal leaders and industry luminaries explored the need for ethics and security as catalysts for artificial intelligence (AI) adoption by federal agencies in addressing this critical question: As frameworks, executive orders and legislation continue to surface across the federal government to address societal concerns and establish the United States as a leader in AI, how are we collectively responding?

Panelists included:
  • Matthew Johnson – Senior technical adviser for responsible AI in the Chief Digital and AI Office at the Department of Defense (DoD)
  • Navrina Singh – Founder and CEO of Credo AI
  • Randal Meyer – Legislative director and chief counsel to Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina
  • John Beezer – Senior adviser to the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
Key takeaways
  1. On the heels of the release of the White House’s October 30 executive order on AI and the DoD’s November 2 AI adoption strategy, Johnson announced that a publicly accessible online tool would be available “very soon” to help the government and industry figure out how to apply “responsible” AI principles in the development and implementation of defense technologies, while also supporting the combined joint all-domain command and control (CJADC2) strategy to accelerate the delivery of actionable data to warfighters.
  2. Part of the DoD’s strategy is to leverage its massive $900 billion annual budget to incentivize the development of AI technology that leans into American values – such as transparency in government, protecting intellectual property and ensuring the privacy of individuals – while combating authoritarian uses of AI as a tool for propaganda and repression.
  3. Multiple panelists referred to an unavoidable “tidal wave” of transformational change on the horizon. The national defense industrial base, especially innovators of dual-use technologies, should be prepared for growing pains as government leaders grapple with how best to manage and deploy US assets as the front-runner in the AI battlespace.

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