Trump trashes AI ethics framework on first day

So long, short-lived AI ethics regulations.  As part of the new administration’s Day One efforts to make America friendlier to tech oligarchs again, President Biden’s 2023 Executive Order 14110, better known as the “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence” order, is no more.

The order was designed to “establish new standards for AI safety and security, protect Americans’ privacy, advance equity and civil rights, stand up for consumers and workers, promote innovation and competition, advance American leadership around the world, and more,” according to officials at the time.

It included directives that required developers to share certain safety test results and other data with government agencies, comply with “rigorous standards” to be set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) before public release, and adhere to certain cybersecurity protocols.

Under the Ai ethics order, government agencies were to establish safety programs to protect against unsafe practices involving AI, evaluate the collection and use of data purchased from brokers to account for potential risks, prevent algorithmic discrimination that may lead to health equity concerns, and promote a fair, open, competitive AI ecosystem where smaller developers and entrepreneurs could access technical assistance and resources.

At the time, seven of the biggest AI companies, including Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI (steward of Chat-GPT), signed a “voluntary commitment” to uphold the principles of the AI ethics Executive Order and “help move toward safe, secure, and transparent development of AI technology.”

Whether these companies will still uphold that pledge in light of the rescinded EO remains to be seen, but if history is any guide, the rollback of AI ethics regulations does not necessarily bode well for those who might be in line for harm or discrimination from companies with the freedom to do as they will.

Other major healthcare moves include fulfilling promises to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) over the entity’s supposed “mishandling” of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The administration also reversed a number of Biden-era policies around support for the American public health ecosystem and continued pandemic response, as well as a wide variety of diversity and inclusion efforts and orders aimed at improving health equity and accessibility of care.

For example, a 2022 EO to lower prescription drug prices through CMS Innovation Center initiatives was sent to the guillotine.  One of those pilots offered $2 copays for generic medications to Medicare Part D beneficiaries.

It’s clear that healthcare and health IT will look very different under the new regime, especially with the increasingly close involvement of tech CEOs in advising the administration’s direction on artificial intelligence and other digital innovations.

With ethical AI regulation taking a big step backwards at the federal level, healthcare organizations will need to continue playing an active role in vetting AI-enabled products at the industry level to ensure safe, equitable deployment of tools that may have a significant impact on patient outcomes.

Jennifer Bresnick is a journalist and freelance content creator with a decade of experience in the health IT industry.  Her work has focused on leveraging innovative technology tools to create value, improve health equity, and achieve the promises of the learning health system.  She can be reached at [email protected].