As fast as the world turns, so fast does the digital environment change. The rapid evolution of the AI industry has led it to become not only a transformative force but also a niche research field within various industries. The reach of AI can be felt across fields such as finance, healthcare, entertainment, etc. But, as with anything, a lot of funding is required to ensure that these developments keep up with the pace. In the US landscape, tech giants and startups provide a lot of this capital.
Defining the value of AI
OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude have been added to a list of approved AI vendors, the U.S. government’s central purchasing arm said on Tuesday, as the Trump administration aims to boost AI’s use by federal agencies. Claude is a family of large language models that have been developed by Anthropic. The first model saw its release during 2023. In March 2024, the Claude 3 family was released.
This consisted of three different models – Haiku for optimized speed, Sonnet which works to balance capability and performance as well as Opus which has been designed for complex task reasoning. These models are able to process both images and text. Tuesday’s approvals by the General Services Administration (GSA) are part of a new AI blueprintย released on July 23ย that aims to loosen environmental rules and vastly expand AI exports to allies, in a bid to maintain the U.S. edge over China in the technology.
Seeing things from the U.S. perspective
The GSA is an executive agency within the US federal government which was established in 1949. There responsibility stretches to the management of federal property as well as the provision of contracting options for government agencies. The GSA’s step means the approved AI tools will be available for government agencies to use on a platform with contract terms in place.
Federal agencies will explore “a wide range of AI solutions, from simple research assistants powered by large language models to highly tailored, mission-specific applications,” the GSA said. The GSA added it is focused on AI models “that prioritize truthfulness, accuracy, transparency, and freedom from ideological bias.” President Donald Trump has called the AI race the fight that will define the 21st century. His administration’s AI plan, which includes some 90 recommendations, also calls for the export of U.S.
What can be learnt from this technology
AI software and hardware, and a crackdown on state laws deemed too restrictive to let AI flourish. It is a marked departure from former President Joe Biden’s “high fence” approach that limited global access to coveted AI chips. AI chips can be defined as specially designed computer microchips which are used in the development of various AI systems. These chips are most often than not built especially to handle AI tasks. These tasks can include machine learning or L, data analysis as well as natural language processing (NLP).
The Biden administration last year required federal agencies using AI to adopt “concrete safeguards” on its use and to monitor, assess and test AI’s impacts on the public. Biden also signed an executive order aimed at promoting competition, protecting consumers and ensuring AI was not used for misinformation, a measure that was rescinded by Trump.
Artificial Intelligence is not going to go away. It already has its tentacles attached to most of the things we utilize in our day to day lives. With this level of involvement, it would maybe be reasonably safe to assume a good cooperative strategy would be in order. If one works to see how these systems and tools can be utilized to the best of their advantage and also to the benefit of individuals and corporations alike. It seems therefore fairly logical that these government strategies are aimed at providing some regulatory guidance on these matters.
GCN.com/REUTERS.