WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement on President Trump’s Executive Order artificial intelligence (AI):

“AI holds enormous promise, with diverse applications across almost every imaginable sector and an array of implications in the national security context, as well. Our strategic competitors fully understand the stakes and have devoted enormous resources to outpacing the U.S. in this area. At the same time, if we’ve learned anything from the last two years, it’s that U.S. policy should be much more thoughtful in the consideration of emerging technologies – particularly in modeling their misuse. I applaud a number of aspects of the Executive Order, such as the proposal – mirroring the white paper I released last summer – to open federal data-sets to non-federal entities. 

“Overall, however, the tone of this Executive Order reflects a laissez-faire approach to AI development that I worry will have the U.S. repeating the mistakes it has made in treating digital technologies as inherently positive forces, with insufficient consideration paid to their misapplication. As I raised in my white paper, there are early indications that AI may contribute towards ‘winner-take-all markets’ – making it all the more important that our AI policies catalyze and sustain long-term competition and innovation. Similarly, the Administration’s Executive Order treats the impact of AI on the American workforce almost as an after-thought – relegating consideration of upskilling and retraining to existing federal programs.  

“Lastly, while the Executive Order explicitly references the activities of strategic competitors and adversarial nations, it offers little concrete guidance on how the U.S. should respond to adversarial and malicious uses of AI technologies by state and non-state actors alike, nor does it address instances where American technology companies are working in and with adversary nations in ways that undermine civil liberties, privacy, and American leadership.”

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