Biden administration adopts rules to guide global spread of AI

The Biden administration on Monday issued strict rules governing how AI chips and models can be shared with foreign countries, aiming to establish a global framework that will guide how artificial intelligence grows. will spread around the world in the years to come.

Facing the rapid growth of AI power, the Biden administration said the rules were necessary to keep transformational technology within the control of the United States and its allies, and out of the hands of adversaries who could use it to increase their armed forces. cyberattacks and threaten the United States.

Tech companies have protested the new rules, saying they threaten their sales and the future prospects of the U.S. tech industry.

The rules place various limits on the number of AI chips companies can send to different countries, essentially dividing the world into three categories. The United States and 18 of its closest partners – including Britain, Canada, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan – are exempt from any restrictions and can freely buy AI chips .

Countries already subject to a US arms embargo, such as China and Russia, will continue to face an existing ban on the purchase of AI chips.

All other countries – most of the world – will be subject to caps limiting the number of AI chips that can be imported, although countries and companies can increase this number by entering into special agreements with the US government. These rules could anger some foreign governments: Even countries that are close trading partners or military allies of the United States, such as Mexico, Switzerland, Poland or Israel, will face restrictions on their ability to purchase larger quantities of American AI products.