Meta, Google and OpenAI promise the White House that they will develop AI responsibly

The White House will bring in the seven major AI companies on Friday to make a series of voluntary pledges to protect users.

The companies—Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI—accepted a series of requests from the White House to address many of the risks posed by artificial intelligence. The promises consist of investments in cybersecurity, discrimination research and a new watermarking system that informs users when content is generated by AI.

The companies have entered into these agreements on a voluntary basis, so there are currently no consequences if they fail to keep their promises. Many of these commitments are not expected to be implemented on Friday, but companies are expected to work to implement them immediately.

In a call with reporters on Thursday, a White House official said the Biden administration was currently working on an executive order to address some of the risks posed by AI. The official declined to give details, but said the actions could be carried out across all federal agencies and departments.

In recent months, the Biden administration has met with tech executives and civil rights and labor leaders to discuss AI. In May, the White House announced more funding and policy guidance for companies developing artificial intelligence technology, including $140 million for the National Science Foundation to launch seven new National AI Research Institutes (NAIRs). Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI and other companies have also agreed to allow their language models to be publicly tested at Def Con this year.

Friday’s announcement comes nearly a month after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) released his plan for Congress to regulate technology without stifling innovation. The plan, the SAFE (Safety, Accountability, Fundamentals, Explain) Framework, does not provide specific policy requests, but asks lawmakers to work together to create rules that address the potential for AI to harm national security, cause job losses, and create misinformation.

“AI could be our most spectacular innovation yet, a force that could usher in a new era of technological advancement, scientific discovery and industrial might,” Schumer said of his plan last month.

Schumer’s plan also included a series of briefings for senators on the technology. Next week, he will host the third briefing. The first two meetings explained the technology and presented its risks to national security.

Since Schumer’s announcement, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have introduced legislation to regulate the technology. Some new rules limiting how the Department of Defense could use generative AI have made their way into this year’s National Defense Authorization Act due to pass. Senators are expected to vote to approve the measure sometime next week, according to CNN.

As for the White House summit, representatives of the seven companies are expected to meet at the White House on Friday for the physical signing of these commitments. The White House has not said what time the event will take place.