White House cautions against over-regulating AI in new guidelines

Today, the White House proposed 10 principles for federal agencies to consider when regulating artificial intelligence, Reuters reports. The guidelines stress limiting regulatory "overreach" and encourage Europe and other allies to "avoid heavy handed innovation-killing models."

The guidelines instruct federal agencies to "conduct risk assessment and cost-benefit analyses prior to any regulatory action on AI, with a focus on establishing flexible frameworks rather than one-size-fits-all regulation." Michael Kratsois, CTO of the United States, is expected to formally announce the principles at CES tomorrow.

This isn't the first time the Trump administration has taken a hands-off approach to AI. Though, President Trump's "American AI Initiative" executive order, issued last year, pushed federal agencies to prioritize AI. As the technology finds its way into more applications, there are growing ethical concerns around privacy, cybersecurity and biases. It's unlikely that other countries will adopt the White House's stance, as international bodies like the EU have been advocating for more regulation around AI.