Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government
Record date: 2020-12-08
Executive Order 13960 of December 3, 2020 Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1 . Purpose. Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to drive the growth of the United States economy and improve the quality of life of all Americans. In alignment with Executive Order 13859 of February 11, 2019 (Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence), executive departments and agencies
What this record contains
- Federal Register document
- 2020-27065
- Publication date
- 2020-12-08
- Citation
- 85 FR 78939
- Issuing office
- Executive Office of the President
Official record excerpt
Executive Order 13960 of December 3, 2020 Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1 . Purpose. Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to drive the growth of the United States economy and improve the quality of life of all Americans. In alignment with Executive Order 13859 of February 11, 2019 (Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence), executive departments and agencies (agencies) have recognized the power of AI to improve their operations, processes, and procedures; meet strategic goals; reduce costs; enhance oversight of the use of taxpayer funds; increase efficiency and mission effectiveness; improve quality of services; improve safety; train workforces; and support decision making by the Federal workforce, among other positive developments. Given the broad applicability of AI, nearly every agency and those served by those agencies can benefit from the appropriate use of AI. Agencies are already leading the way in the use of AI by applying it to accelerate regulatory reform; review Federal solicitations for regulatory compliance; combat fraud, waste, and abuse committed against taxpayers; identify information security threats and assess trends in related illicit activities; enhance the security and interoperability of Federal Government information systems; facilitate review of large datasets; streamline processes for grant applications; model weather patterns; facilitate predictive maintenance; and much more. Agencies are encouraged to continue to use AI, when appropriate, to benefit the American people. The ongoing adoption and acceptance of AI will depend significantly on public trust. Agencies must therefore design, develop, acquire, and use AI in a manner that fosters public trust and confidence while protecting privacy, civil rights, civil liberties, and American values, consistent with applicable law and the goals of Executive Order 13859 . Certain agencies have already adopted guidelines and principles for the use of AI for national security or defense purposes, such as the Department of Defense's Ethical Principles for Artificial Intelligence (February 24, 2020), and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's Principles of Artificial Intelligence Ethics for the Intelligence Community (July 23, 2020) and its Artificial Intelligence Ethics Framework for the Intelligence Community (July 23, 2020). Such guidelines and principles ensure that the use of AI in those contexts will benefit the American people and be worthy of their trust. Section 3 of this order establishes additional principles (Principles) for the use of AI in the Federal Government for purposes other than national security and defense, to similarly ensure that such uses are consistent with our Nation's values and are beneficial to the public. This order further establishes a process for implementing these Principles through common policy guidance across agencies. Sec. 2 . Policy. (a) It is the policy of the United States to promote the innovation and use of AI, where appropriate, to improve Government operations and services in a manner that fosters public trust, builds confidence ( printed page 78940) in AI, protects our Nation's values, and remains consistent with all applicable laws, including those related to privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. (b) It is the policy of the United States that responsible agencies, as defined in section 8 of this order, shall, when considering the design, development, acquisition, and use of AI in Government, be guided by the common set of Principles set forth in section 3 of this order, which are designed to foster public trust and confidence in the use of AI, protect our Nation's values, and ensure that the use of AI remains consistent with all applicable laws, including those related to privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. (c) It is the policy of the United States that the Principles for the use of AI in Government shall be governed by common policy guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as outlined in section 4 of this order, consistent with applicable law. Sec. 3 . Principles for Use of AI in Government. When designing, developing, acquiring, and using AI in the Federal Government, agencies shall adhere to the following Principles: (a) Lawful and respectful of our Nation's values. Agencies shall design, develop, acquire, and
The excerpt is reproduced from the public federal record and may omit later sections, tables, signatures or attachments. Open the official source for the complete text.
Questions for accountability
- What legal authority does this economy action cite?
- Which agencies or officials were directed to act?
- What measurable implementation, cost, deadline or later court action followed?
How to use this page
This is a source-record entry, not a truth-rating by itself. It preserves the action, date and original government publication so it can be connected to later claims, implementation records, court decisions, costs and measurable outcomes. Editorial claim reviews on this site use separate finding labels and explain the evidence for those findings.