United States of America: Signed Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence including consumer protection regulation

On 30 October 2023, the President of the United States signed an Executive Order (EO) on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI), including consumer protection regulation. The EO recommends that executive agencies use their current powers to protect consumers from fraud, threats to privacy, discrimination and other risks that AI could pose and clarify the current regulations that apply to AI developers and technologies. Within 90 days of the EO signing, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs are required to create an HHS AI Task Force, which, within 365 days, is required to publish a strategic plan, including possible regulatory action, regarding the responsible deployment and use of AI in health and human services sector. The HHS will be required to within 180 days to establish a strategy to determine if the AI-enabled technologies maintain appropriate levels of quality. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must establish a framework for identifying clinical errors arising from the implementation of AI in healthcare and formulate a strategy for overseeing AI usage in the drug development process within 365 days. The Department of Transportation must analyse AI's implications on transportation, particularly software-defined AI improvements affecting autonomous mobility ecosystems, within 180 days. Within 365 days, the Secretary of Education has to develop policies and guidance to ensure safe and non-discriminatory uses of AI in education. Within 180 days, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have to issue regulations to combat unlawful discrimination enabled by automated or algorithmic tools.