New rules for US national security agencies balance AI's promise with need to protect against risks

WASHINGTON (AP) — New rules from the White House on the use of artificial intelligence by U.S. national security and spy agencies aim to balance the technology's immense promise with the need to protect against its risks.

The rules being announced Thursday are designed to ensure that national security agencies can access the latest and most powerful AI while also mitigating its misuse, according to Biden administration officials who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have been hailed as potentially transformative for a long list of industries and sectors, including military, national security and intelligence. But there are risks to the technology's use by government, including possibilities it could be harnessed for mass surveillance, cyberattacks or even lethal autonomous devices.

The new policy framework will prohibit certain uses of AI, such as any applications that would violate constitutionally protected civil rights or any system that would automate the deployment of nuclear weapons.

The rules also are designed to promote responsible use of AI by directing national security and spy agencies to use the most advanced systems that also safeguard American values, the officials said.

Other provisions call for improved security of the nation's computer chip supply chain and direct intelligence agencies to prioritize work to protect the American industry from foreign espionage campaigns.

The guidelines were created following an ambitious executive order signed by President Joe Biden last year that directed federal agencies to create policies for how AI could be used.

Officials said the rules are needed not only to ensure that AI is used responsibly but also to encourage the development of new AI systems and see that the U.S. keeps up with China and other rivals also working to harness the technology's power.

Lethal autonomous drones, which are capable of taking out an enemy at their own discretion, remain a key concern about the military use of AI. Last year, the U.S. issued a declaration calling for international cooperation on setting standards for autonomous drones.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, at NHTI Concord Community College, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

LONDON (AP) — Chipmaker Intel won a fresh victory Thursday in a long-running battle with European Union competition watchdogs after the bloc's top court confirmed a lower tribunal's decision to overturn a billion-euro antitrust penalty.

The EU’s Court of Justice upheld the decision to annul the fine issued more than a decade ago, dismissing an appeal from the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's top antitrust enforcer.

The court said it “rejects all of the grounds of appeal raised by the Commission," according to a press release summarizing the decision.

Intel said in a statement that it’s “pleased with the judgment delivered by the Court of Justice of the European Union today and to finally put this part of the case behind us.”

The case dates back to 2009, when the Commission slapped Intel with a 1.06 billion euro fine ($1.14 billion at current exchange rates) for allegedly using illegal sales tactics to shut out smaller rival AMD. The Commission accused Intel of abusing its dominant position in the global market for x86 microprocessors with a strategy to exclude rivals by using rebates.

Intel scored a surprise win in 2022 when the EU's General Court overturned the penalty, the decision that the Court of Justice backed on Thursday.

The latest decision is still not the end of the road for the case, because the company is battling a separate 376.4 million-euro ($406.6 million) fine that Brussels imposed last year targeting some Intel sales restrictions that the General Court found were unlawful in its 2022 ruling.

Shares of Intel Corp., based in Santa Clara, California, rose slightly before the opening bell Thursday.

FILE -The logo of semiconductor chip maker Intel is pictured at the Paris games week in Paris, Nov. 4, 2017. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)