House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, R-Okla., and House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., have asked the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to respond to a list of 17 questions over its recently issued “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights.”
The lawmakers made the inquiry over concerns that the blueprint conflicts with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s draft Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework, which is expected to be finalized in early 2023.
Issues cited include the blueprint’s usage of an incongruous definition of AI and different principles on trustworthy AI, according to a Jan. 19 letter addressed to OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar, a previous Wash100 awardee.
OSTP outlined five principles under the blueprint that should be used as guidance in designing, deploying and using AI and other automated systems to protect the civil rights of U.S. citizens and democratic values. Principles include safe and effective systems, algorithmic discrimination protections and data privacy.
Lucas and Comer are asking whether OSTP coordinated with NIST and other federal agencies over the development of the blueprint and whether it conducted an iterative multistakeholder process to create the document.
The congressmen also questioned OSTP on whether it intends to promote the document as a model for federal, state and local governments and policy goals it had in mind when it released the blueprint.
They expect a response from the department by Jan. 31.
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