The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)^[1] has launched an inquiry into what policies will help businesses, government, and the public be able to trust that Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems work as claimed – and without causing harm.

In line with this, the NTIA announced today, April 13, 2023, a request for public comments on Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) system accountability measures and policies.

Summary:

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) hereby requests comments on Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) system accountability measures and policies. This request focuses on self-regulatory, regulatory, and other measures and policies that are designed to provide reliable evidence to external stakeholders—that is, to provide assurance—that AI systems are legal, effective, ethical, safe, and otherwise trustworthy. NTIA will rely on these comments, along with other public engagements on this topic, to draft and issue a report on AI accountability policy development, focusing especially on the AI assurance ecosystem.^[2]

NTIA is seeking input on what policies should shape the AI accountability ecosystem, including topics such as: 

• What kinds of data access is necessary to conduct audits and assessments
• How can regulators and other actors incentivize and support credible assurance of AI systems along with other forms of accountability
• What different approaches might be needed in different industry sectors—like employment or health care

If you have relevant knowledge regarding AI technical safety and/or governance, please consider submitting a comment. This is a notable opportunity to positively inform US policymaking.

You can find more information and formally submit your comments here.

Comments can be submitted as a known individual, on behalf of an organization, or anonymously. 

The deadline to submit comments is June 12, 2023.