4. White House Establishes AI Advisory Committee

The White House has established the "Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence" to advise the President and formally coordinate artificial intelligence policies among executive branch agencies. The Office of Science and Technology Policy, National Science Foundation, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will lead the interagency committee.

According to the White House, the goals of the Committee are (1) prioritize funding for AI research and development; (2) remove barriers to AI innovation; (3) train the future American workforce; (4) achieve strategic military advantage; (5) leverage AI for government services; and (6) lead international AI negotiations. The Committee will also coordinate federal research and adoption of technologies such as autonomous systems, biometric identification, computerized image and video analysis, machine learning, and robotics.

The Committee membership includes the Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence as well as representatives from the Executive Office of the President such as the National Security Council and Office of Management and Budget. The Committee may also "interact with and receive ad hoc advice" from private sector groups, but it is unclear whether the Committee will include public perspectives in its work.

In 2014, EPIC—joined by 24 consumer privacy, public interest, scientific, and educational organizations—petitioned the OSTP to accept public comments on a White House project concerning Big Data. The petition stated, "The public should be given the opportunity to contribute to the OSTP's review of 'Big Data and the Future of Privacy' since it is their information that is being collected and their privacy and their future that is at stake." EPIC launched an international campaign for Algorithmic Transparency in 2015 and recently urged Congress to establish oversight mechanisms for the use of AI by federal agencies.