Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence
| Published date | 14 February 2019 |
| Record Number | 2019-02544 |
| Section | Presidential Documents |
| Court | Executive Office Of The President |
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 31 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 31 (Thursday, February 14, 2019)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 3967-3972]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-02544] Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 31 / Thursday, February 14, 2019 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 3967]]
Executive Order 13859 of February 11, 2019
Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial
Intelligence
By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy and Principles. Artificial
Intelligence (AI) promises to drive growth of the
United States economy, enhance our economic and
national security, and improve our quality of life. The
United States is the world leader in AI research and
development (R&D) and deployment. Continued American
leadership in AI is of paramount importance to
maintaining the economic and national security of the
United States and to shaping the global evolution of AI
in a manner consistent with our Nation's values,
policies, and priorities. The Federal Government plays
an important role in facilitating AI R&D, promoting the
trust of the American people in the development and
deployment of AI-related technologies, training a
workforce capable of using AI in their occupations, and
protecting the American AI technology base from
attempted acquisition by strategic competitors and
adversarial nations. Maintaining American leadership in
AI requires a concerted effort to promote advancements
in technology and innovation, while protecting American
technology, economic and national security, civil
liberties, privacy, and American values and enhancing
international and industry collaboration with foreign
partners and allies. It is the policy of the United
States Government to sustain and enhance the
scientific, technological, and economic leadership
position of the United States in AI R&D and deployment
through a coordinated Federal Government strategy, the
American AI Initiative (Initiative), guided by five
principles:
(a) The United States must drive technological
breakthroughs in AI across the Federal Government,
industry, and academia in order to promote scientific
discovery, economic competitiveness, and national
security.
(b) The United States must drive development of
appropriate technical standards and reduce barriers to
the safe testing and deployment of AI technologies in
order to enable the creation of new AI-related
industries and the adoption of AI by today's
industries.
(c) The United States must train current and future
generations of American workers with the skills to
develop and apply AI technologies to prepare them for
today's economy and jobs of the future.
(d) The United States must foster public trust and
confidence in AI technologies and protect civil
liberties, privacy, and American values in their
application in order to fully realize the potential of
AI technologies for the American people.
(e) The United States must promote an international
environment that supports American AI research and
innovation and opens markets for American AI
industries, while protecting our technological
advantage in AI and protecting our critical AI
technologies from acquisition by strategic competitors
and adversarial nations.
Sec. 2. Objectives. Artificial Intelligence will affect
the missions of nearly all executive departments and
agencies (agencies). Agencies determined to be
implementing agencies pursuant to section 3 of this
order shall pursue six strategic objectives in
furtherance of both promoting and protecting American
advancements in AI:
(a) Promote sustained investment in AI R&D in
collaboration with industry, academia, international
partners and allies, and other non-Federal entities
[[Page 3968]]
to generate technological breakthroughs in AI and
related technologies and to rapidly transition those
breakthroughs into capabilities that contribute to our
economic and national security.
(b) Enhance access to high-quality and fully
traceable Federal data, models, and computing resources
to increase the value of such resources for AI R&D,
while maintaining safety, security, privacy, and
confidentiality protections consistent with applicable
laws and policies.
(c) Reduce barriers to the use of AI technologies
to promote their innovative application while
protecting American technology, economic and national
security, civil liberties, privacy, and values.
(d) Ensure that technical standards minimize
vulnerability to attacks from malicious actors and
reflect Federal priorities for innovation, public
trust, and public confidence in systems that use AI
technologies; and develop international standards to
promote and protect those priorities.
(e) Train the next generation of American AI
researchers and users through apprenticeships; skills
programs; and education in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM), with an emphasis
on computer science, to ensure that American workers,
including Federal workers, are capable of taking full
advantage of the opportunities of AI.
(f) Develop and implement an action plan, in
accordance with the National Security Presidential
Memorandum of February 11, 2019 (Protecting the United
States Advantage in Artificial Intelligence and Related
Critical Technologies) (the NSPM) to protect the
advantage of the United States in AI and technology
critical to United States economic and national
security interests against strategic competitors and
foreign adversaries.
Sec. 3. Roles and Responsibilities. The Initiative
shall be coordinated through the National Science and
Technology Council (NSTC) Select Committee on
Artificial Intelligence (Select Committee). Actions
shall be implemented by agencies that conduct
foundational AI R&D, develop and deploy applications of
AI technologies, provide educational grants, and
regulate and provide guidance for applications of AI
technologies, as determined by the co-chairs of the
NSTC Select Committee (implementing agencies).
Sec. 4. Federal Investment in AI Research and
Development.
(a) Heads of implementing agencies that also
perform or fund R&D (AI R&D agencies), shall consider
AI as an agency R&D priority, as appropriate to their
respective agencies' missions, consistent with
applicable law and in accordance with the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Science
and Technology Policy (OSTP) R&D priorities memoranda.
Heads of such agencies shall take this priority into
account when developing budget proposals and planning
for the use of funds in Fiscal Year 2020 and in future
years. Heads of these agencies shall also consider
appropriate administrative actions to increase focus on
AI for 2019.
(b) Heads of AI R&D agencies shall budget an amount
for AI R&D that is appropriate for this prioritization.
(i) Following the submission of the President's Budget request to the
Congress, heads of such agencies shall communicate plans for achieving this
prioritization to the OMB Director and the OSTP Director each fiscal year
through the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development
(NITRD) Program.
(ii) Within 90 days of the enactment of appropriations for their respective
agencies, heads of such agencies shall identify each year, consistent with
applicable law, the programs to which the AI R&D priority will apply and
estimate the total amount of such funds that will be spent on each such
program. This information shall be communicated to the OMB Director and
OSTP Director each fiscal year through the NITRD Program.
(c) To the extent appropriate and consistent with
applicable law, heads of AI R&D agencies shall explore
opportunities for collaboration with non-
[[Page 3969]]
Federal entities, including: the private sector;
academia; non-profit organizations; State, local,
tribal, and territorial governments; and foreign
partners and allies, so all collaborators can benefit
from each other's investment and expertise in AI R&D.
Sec. 5. Data and Computing Resources for AI Research
and Development.
(a) Heads of all agencies shall review their
Federal data and models to identify opportunities to
increase access and use by the greater non-Federal AI
research community in a manner that benefits that
community, while protecting safety, security, privacy,
and confidentiality. Specifically, agencies shall
improve data and model inventory documentation to
enable discovery and usability, and shall prioritize
improvements to access and quality of AI data and
models based on the AI research community's user
feedback.
(i) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the OMB Director shall
publish a notice in the Federal Register inviting the public to identify
additional requests for access or quality improvements for Federal data and
models that would improve AI R&D and testing. Additionally, within 90 days
of the date of this order, OMB, in conjunction with the Select Committee,
shall investigate barriers to access or quality limitations of Federal data
and models that impede AI R&D and testing. Collectively, these actions by
OMB will help to identify datasets that will facilitate non-Federal AI R&D
and testing.
(ii) Within 120 days of the date of this order, OMB, including through its
interagency councils and the Select Committee, shall update implementation
guidance for Enterprise Data Inventories and Source Code Inventories to
support discovery and usability in AI R&D.
(iii) Within 180 days of the date of this order, and in accordance with the
implementation of the Cross-Agency Priority Goal: Leveraging Federal Data
as a Strategic Asset, from the March 2018 President's Management Agenda,
agencies shall consider methods of improving the quality, usability, and
appropriate access to priority data identified by the AI research
community. Agencies shall also identify any associated resource
implications.
(iv) In identifying data and models for consideration for increased public
access, agencies, in coordination with the Senior Agency Officials for
Privacy established pursuant to Executive Order 13719 of February 9, 2016
(Establishment of the Federal Privacy Council), the heads of Federal
statistical entities, Federal program managers, and other relevant
personnel shall identify any barriers to, or requirements associated with,
increased access to and use of such data and models, including:
(A) privacy and civil liberty protections for individuals who may be
affected by increased access and use, as well as confidentiality
protections for individuals and other data providers;
(B) safety and security concerns, including those related to the
association or compilation of data and models;
(C) data documentation and formatting, including the need for
interoperable and machine-readable data formats;
(D) changes necessary to ensure appropriate data and system governance;
and
(E) any other relevant considerations.
(v) In accordance with the President's Management Agenda and the Cross-
Agency Priority Goal: Leveraging Data as a Strategic Asset, agencies shall
identify opportunities to use new technologies and best practices to
increase access to and usability of open data and models, and explore
appropriate controls on access to sensitive or restricted data and models,
consistent with applicable laws and policies, privacy and confidentiality
protections, and civil liberty protections.
[[Page 3970]]
(b) The Secretaries of Defense, Commerce, Health
and Human Services, and Energy, the Administrator of
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and
the Director of the National Science Foundation shall,
to the extent appropriate and consistent with
applicable law, prioritize the allocation of high-
performance computing resources for AI-related
applications through:
(i) increased assignment of discretionary allocation of resources and
resource reserves; or
(ii) any other appropriate mechanisms.
(c) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the
Select Committee, in coordination with the General
Services Administration (GSA), shall submit a report to
the President making recommendations on better enabling
the use of cloud computing resources for federally
funded AI R&D.
(d) The Select Committee shall provide technical
expertise to the American Technology Council on matters
regarding AI and the modernization of Federal
technology, data, and the delivery of digital services,
as appropriate.
Sec. 6. Guidance for Regulation of AI Applications.
(a) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the
OMB Director, in coordination with the OSTP Director,
the Director of the Domestic Policy Council, and the
Director of the National Economic Council, and in
consultation with any other relevant agencies and key
stakeholders as the OMB Director shall determine, shall
issue a memorandum to the heads of all agencies that
shall:
(i) inform the development of regulatory and non-regulatory approaches by
such agencies regarding technologies and industrial sectors that are either
empowered or enabled by AI, and that advance American innovation while
upholding civil liberties, privacy, and American values; and
(ii) consider ways to reduce barriers to the use of AI technologies in
order to promote their innovative application while protecting civil
liberties, privacy, American values, and United States economic and
national security.
(b) To help ensure public trust in the development
and implementation of AI applications, OMB shall issue
a draft version of the memorandum for public comment
before it is finalized.
(c) Within 180 days of the date of the memorandum
described in subsection (a) of this section, the heads
of implementing agencies that also have regulatory
authorities shall review their authorities relevant to
applications of AI and shall submit to OMB plans to
achieve consistency with the memorandum.
(d) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Commerce, through the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
shall issue a plan for Federal engagement in the
development of technical standards and related tools in
support of reliable, robust, and trustworthy systems
that use AI technologies. NIST shall lead the
development of this plan with participation from
relevant agencies as the Secretary of Commerce shall
determine.
(i) Consistent with OMB Circular A-119, this plan shall include:
(A) Federal priority needs for standardization of AI systems development
and deployment;
(B) identification of standards development entities in which Federal
agencies should seek membership with the goal of establishing or supporting
United States technical leadership roles; and
(C) opportunities for and challenges to United States leadership in
standardization related to AI technologies.
(ii) This plan shall be developed in consultation with the Select
Committee, as needed, and in consultation with the private sector,
academia, non-governmental entities, and other stakeholders, as
appropriate.
[[Page 3971]]
Sec. 7. AI and the American Workforce.
(a) Heads of implementing agencies that also
provide educational grants shall, to the extent
consistent with applicable law, consider AI as a
priority area within existing Federal fellowship and
service programs.
(i) Eligible programs for prioritization shall give preference to American
citizens, to the extent permitted by law, and shall include:
(A) high school, undergraduate, and graduate fellowship; alternative
education; and training programs;
(B) programs to recognize and fund early-career university faculty who
conduct AI R&D, including through Presidential awards and recognitions;
(C) scholarship for service programs;
(D) direct commissioning programs of the United States Armed Forces; and
(E) programs that support the development of instructional programs and
curricula that encourage the integration of AI technologies into courses in
order to facilitate personalized and adaptive learning experiences for
formal and informal education and training.
(ii) Agencies shall annually communicate plans for achieving this
prioritization to the co-chairs of the Select Committee.
(b) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the
Select Committee shall provide recommendations to the
NSTC Committee on STEM Education regarding AI-related
educational and workforce development considerations
that focus on American citizens.
(c) The Select Committee shall provide technical
expertise to the National Council for the American
Worker on matters regarding AI and the American
workforce, as appropriate.
Sec. 8. Action Plan for Protection of the United States
Advantage in AI Technologies.
(a) As directed by the NSPM, the Assistant to the
President for National Security Affairs, in
coordination with the OSTP Director and the recipients
of the NSPM, shall organize the development of an
action plan to protect the United States advantage in
AI and AI technology critical to United States economic
and national security interests against strategic
competitors and adversarial nations.
(b) The action plan shall be provided to the
President within 120 days of the date of this order,
and may be classified in full or in part, as
appropriate.
(c) Upon approval by the President, the action plan
shall be implemented by all agencies who are recipients
of the NSPM, for all AI-related activities, including
those conducted pursuant to this order.
Sec. 9. Definitions. As used in this order:
(a) the term ``artificial intelligence'' means the
full extent of Federal investments in AI, to include:
R&D of core AI techniques and technologies; AI
prototype systems; application and adaptation of AI
techniques; architectural and systems support for AI;
and cyberinfrastructure, data sets, and standards for
AI; and
(b) the term ``open data'' shall, in accordance
with OMB Circular A-130 and memorandum M-13-13, mean
``publicly available data structured in a way that
enables the data to be fully discoverable and usable by
end users.''
Sec. 10. General Provisions.
(a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to
impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of OMB relating to budgetary,
administrative, or legislative proposals.
[[Page 3972]]
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
February 11, 2019.
[FR Doc. 2019-02544
Filed 2-13-19; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F9-P
