President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Monday that will govern the development and use of artificial intelligence under a new set of industry standards. Under the new order, AI developers will be required to share safety test results with the government, among other information.
Eerie run-ins with AI technology have been an unwelcome frequent occurrence for Biden, who is simultaneously “impressed” and “alarmed” by the plentiful deepfake images of himself that appear on the Internet, deputy White House chief of staff Bruce Reed said in an interview, according to Time.
“He saw how it can make bad poetry,” Reed continued. “And he’s seen and heard the incredible and terrifying technology of voice cloning, which can take three seconds of your voice and turn it into an entire fake conversation.”
But Biden’s last straw was sitting down to watch Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. The President was cozied up at his Maryland retreat, Camp David, when his perception of AI changed forever.
“If he hadn’t already been concerned about what could go wrong with AI before that movie, he saw plenty more to worry about,” said Reed, who watched the film alongside Biden.
The Mission: Impossible film’s opening sequence features a sentient AI (dubbed the Entity) sinking a submarine, which in turn, kills the entire crew. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), of course, returns to the franchise to face off against the rogue technology with the help of the Impossible Mission Force team.
According to Variety, the White House says Monday's executive order "directs the most sweeping actions ever taken to protect Americans from the potential risks of AI systems."
Fear of the "potential risks" of AI use are reflected in the language of Biden’s executive order: “Artificial intelligence (AI) holds extraordinary potential for both promise and peril,” it reads. “Responsible AI use has the potential to help solve urgent challenges while making our world more prosperous, productive, innovative, and secure. At the same time, irresponsible use could exacerbate societal harms such as fraud, discrimination, bias, and disinformation; displace and disempower workers; stifle competition; and pose risks to national security.”
While the action items of the executive order will take effect in the next 90 to 365 days, the second part of "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning" won't arrive until summer 2025 following delays in production due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
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