White House issues executive order on cybersecurity for AI

The White House issued an executive order June 2 on cybersecurity efforts regarding artificial intelligence. The order instructs federal agencies within 30 days to release directives and guidance that focus on protecting civilian federal government information systems; establishing or expanding federal programs and cybersecurity services that enhance AI-enabled defensive tools; and facilitating access to cybersecurity tools and services, including covered frontier models for agencies, state and local authorities and operators of critical infrastructure such as rural hospitals, community banks and local utilities. The order also instructs federal officials to create an AI cybersecurity clearinghouse that would coordinate and resolve any issues scanning for software vulnerabilities, discover and validate such vulnerabilities, and coordinate and prioritize remediation and distribution of vulnerability patches. Additionally, the order directs federal agencies to determine the threshold at which an AI model should be designated as a “covered frontier model.” The EO also directs the attorney general to prioritize criminal enforcement for parties that use AI to illegally access or damage a computer without authorization, or who utilize AI while engaged in such illegal access to further any other crime.