Title: GAO: Oversight of federal Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems

Description: Oversight of federal AI systems is critical to ensuring their success.  Artificial intelligence technology is already everywhere in our smart homes and devices across industries and even in federal government.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has expanded capabilities in science and technology issues, and one area GAO has been looking into is Artificial Intelligence oversight. GAO convened a forum of leading national experts to develop key practices for accountability and responsible use of AI in federal programs.

Related GAO Work: GAO-21-519SP 

Released: June 2021

[Taka Ariga]
Artificial intelligence technology is already everywhere in our smart
homes and devices across industries and even in federal government. I am
Taka Ariga, GAO's Chief Data Scientist and head of our innovation lab as
part of GAO's nonpartisan, fact based support to the Congress.

We have expanded our capabilities in science and technology issues, and
one area we've been looking into is AI oversight. We've convened a forum
of leading national experts to develop key practices for accountability
and responsible use of AI in federal programs.

Here is some of what they told us.

[Tina Kim]
AI is a revolutionary technology that may impact everyone's everyday
life.

[Chris Meserole]
It's important because AI is kind of expanding through every sector of
the economy and even, I think, pretty much every sector of the
government.

[Ayanna Howard]
We definitely have to have diverse voices that are talking about this.
It can't just be a computer scientist. It can't just be policy makers.
It can't just be ethicists. It really needs to be the multiple
individual, the multiple stakeholders to come up with a solution that
seems to make sense.

[Ashley Casovan]
And the role of government is being this balance for all of the various
different innovations that are out there. And I think that we do need to
have some sort of oversight function to help steer humanity in a
particular direction that's beneficial for all.

[Daniel Ho]
And so there's an incredibly important role for an entity like GAO to
provide a form of external oversight, to promote good internal
governance.

[Taka Ariga]
To find out more about our work across science and technology issues.
Visit us at GAO.gov.