The Biden administration on Monday proposed new export controls on computer chips used for artificial intelligence (AI). The restrictions are an effort to prevent other rival countries from accessing and exploiting advanced U.S. technology.
The Biden administration called the new regulation the “Interim Final Rule on the Adoption of Artificial Intelligence.” In a press release, the administration emphasized that restrictions on U.S. computer chip exports are critical to national security and economic strength. The proposed regulations are intended to “promote the responsible diffusion of U.S. technology.” This regulation also Streamlining “licensing hurdles for both large and small chip orders” and strengthening U.S. AI leadership, as well as “giving allies and partner countries how they can benefit from AI.” provide clarity on what can be done.”
The Biden administration’s proposed rules follow previous U.S. chip regulations. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced an interim final rule for U.S. exports of advanced computing and manufactured items in October 2022. BIS emphasized the importance of restricting China’s access to critical technologies to promote national security. BIS implemented several revisions to the interim final rule, which were published in October 2023.
The press release states that the proposed rule builds on the October 2022 and October 2023 regulations and is the result of related discussions over the past 10 months.
But with the Biden administration leaving office in a week, the proposed regulations remain uncertain. The Trump administration has previously expressed support for AI. The Trump administration established the U.S. AI Initiative in 2019 to increase domestic AI efforts. The American AI initiative also emphasized international engagement. The next administration will need to weigh the costs and benefits of the proposed rule.
