Apple To Implement Voluntary AI Safety Measures Set By White House

Apple Inc. has agreed to adopt voluntary AI safeguards established by President Joe Biden’s administration, aiming to guide the development of AI and ensure consumer protection.

Announced on Friday, Apple joins OpenAI Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., Microsoft Corp., and others in pledging to test AI systems for biases, security flaws, and national security risks.

Companies are also expected to transparently share test results with governments, civil society, and academia and report any vulnerabilities. The pledge comes as Apple prepares to integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT into its voice-command assistant on iPhones, marking a significant collaboration between a major tech company and a leading AI startup.

Following this announcement, Tesla CEO Elon Musk threatened to ban Apple devices from his companies, citing security concerns if OpenAI’s AI software is integrated at the operating system level.

Musk’s own AI startup, xAI, offers a chatbot named Grok. While AI technology has become mainstream, its application in areas like law enforcement, hiring, and housing has faced criticism for potentially fostering discrimination.

Biden has consistently highlighted the benefits of AI technology while also cautioning about its potential risks. He aims to hold the industry accountable for ensuring that AI products are safe and responsibly developed.

The White House guidelines on AI, though thorough, are not legally binding, relying on companies to self-report adherence to the standards. While a bipartisan group in Congress has shown interest in regulating AI, legislative efforts have stalled, leaving Biden to proceed independently.

Last year, Biden signed an executive order mandating that powerful AI systems undergo testing to be eligible for federal procurement. He is set to receive an Oval Office briefing on the implementation progress of this directive on Friday, as confirmed by a White House official.