As worries about the implications of incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into businesses and our everyday lives grow, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. signed an executive order on Oct. 30 that calls for checks to ensure that AI is used securely and safely. These checks include ensuring that some organizations developing AI share safety test results with the government, clearly labeling AI-generated content, and creating best practices for the US Department of Justice and federal civil rights organizations to investigate and, as necessary, litigate civil rights violations. The order also explains that cybersecurity protections are being developed to help computers and infrastructure become more secure given the rapid expansion of AI use across industries. “To realize the promise of AI and avoid the risks, we need to govern this technology, and there’s no other way around it, in my view. It must be governed,” Biden noted in his remarks on the executive order. The executive order offers an initial framework through which companies and their boards can consider how to properly deploy AI in a safe and effective manner...

Heather Kierzek is assistant editor of Directorship magazine.