The head of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has called on government organizations to be faster and more nimble when it comes to developing and working with AI tools.
Speaking at the Dreamforce 2024 event in San Francisco, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, US DHS Secretary, noted there was a desire to do more with AI in government, but some roadblocks remained.
Asked by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff what the biggest surprise in working with technology industry giants is, Sec. Mayorkas noted, “the sense of partnership in realizing the incredible opportunity that AI presents.”
Realizing potential “AI technology is amazing, but it can move in directions that we may not want it to move,” Benioff had prompted Mayorkas during their conversation.
In reply, Mayorkas noted many people believe his agency is of the mindset of imposing restrictions on AI development and innovation – but this is not the case.
“What we want to do is create the space for its potential to be realized,” he replied, “We also want to demonstrate the impact business can have in the progress of our world – and I want to demonstrate that government can move at the speed of business, that we can harness AI to advance our mission, while protecting the safety and security of our nation’s critical infrastructure.”
“The level of partnership and collaboration, and the sense of hope in terms of what this technology can mean for the world, I think, is amazing.”
(Image credit: Future / Mike Moore) Mayorkas also looked to outline the role of the DHS’ AI Safety and Security Board, where he says the key is to develop a framework that includes and accounts for the entire ecosystem – developers, cloud compute, the entities using AI.
“The key is to develop a framework,” he noted, “that is not just targeted at the model developers, but really includes and accounts for the entire ecosystem – the model developers, the cloud compute, the infrastructure entities that are going to be taking AI and using it in their operations.”
“What we’re trying to do is capture the entire ecosystem, and speak to them, with a framework that defines roles and responsibilities, where everyone has a role to play, and everyone has responsibilities to execute on, in a very socially responsible way or this amazing technology..”
“The magic is bringing everyone together – there’s a strength in collaboration and collective action,” Mayorkas adds. “I think it’s very important to get everyone around the table, working towards a common goal.”
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