Tech companies join voluntary US scheme to manage AI risks

Adobe, IBM, Nvidia and others join Google, OpenAI and Microsoft in commitments set by White House

US technology companies have signed a set of commitments outlined by the White House to protect against the dangers of AI. AFP

Adobe, IBM, Nvidia and five other companies have signed US President Joe Biden's voluntary commitments governing artificial intelligence, which require steps such as watermarks on AI-generated content, the White House said on Tuesday.

The original commitments, which were announced in July, were aimed at ensuring that AI's power was not used for destructive purposes.

Google, OpenAI and OpenAI partner Microsoft signed the commitments in July.

“The President has been clear: harness the benefits of AI, manage the risks, and move fast – very fast,” White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients said in a statement.

“And we are doing just that by partnering with the private sector and pulling every lever we have to get this done.”

The other five companies signing on to the commitments are Palantir, Stability, Salesforce, Scale AI and Cohere.

Several companies were expected to attend a White House meeting on the topic on Tuesday with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Mr Zients.

The private commitments backed by the Biden administration are seen as a stopgap, given that Congress has held discussions on possible AI legislation, but little has been introduced and nothing significant has become law.

The White House has also been working on an executive order on AI.