The Department of Homeland Security unveiled a new set of recommendations for the safe use of artificial intelligence tools in U.S. critical infrastructure, breaking down flexible guidance for each sector included in the broader AI supply chain .

Unveiled Thursday, Framework of Roles and Responsibilities for Artificial Intelligence in Critical Infrastructure – created in consultation with Homeland’s internal AI Safety and Security Committee – tailors recommended actions to key specific sectors of the AI ​​industry. These include cloud and IT infrastructure providers, AI developers, critical infrastructure owners and operators, civil society and public sector entities.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the guidance is “groundbreaking” as it is the first document of its kind created through “extensive collaboration” with a board that includes software developers. AI themselves to help civil society deploy this software responsibly.

“The framework, if widely adopted, will go a long way toward better ensuring the safety and security of essential services that provide clean water, consistent electricity, internet access and much more,” Mayorkas said during from a call to the press on Thursday. “Frankly, it is extremely rare for leading AI developers to engage directly with civil society on issues that are at the forefront of current AI debates, and (this) presents such a framework for collaboration . »

He added that the framework acts as a new model of shared responsibility and governance to protect critical infrastructure through AI technologies. The report then identifies specific recommendations that each stakeholder can adopt as part of their existing AI governance protocols.

“It’s descriptive, not prescriptive,” Mayorkas said. “The evolution of technology is still progressing rapidly, and being particularly prescriptive would not necessarily account for this evolution. And we want the framework to be, frankly, a living document and also evolve as the industry evolves.

The voluntary guidance for stakeholders working at the intersection of AI and critical infrastructure includes five steps: securing environments, driving responsible model design, implementing data governance, ensuring safe and secure deployment, and monitor performance and impact.

Different stakeholders will have different tasks during these stages. An AI software developer, for example, would be responsible for managing access to models and data to secure a given environment, while a critical infrastructure owner and operator would be responsible for securing the IT infrastructure existing.

Given that the content of the report is voluntary, Mayorkas said he expects board members to help evangelize the guidelines into practice in their sectors, particularly as a new Trump administration which is expected to change current technology and AI policy.

“There is a lot of pressure to enact regulations, pass laws in the area of ​​AI,” he said. “We are leading the world in innovation in AI and broader technologies and this framework, if indeed adopted and implemented as widely as we envision, will be – and board members of administration envisage that it should be – will and could counter. rushed regulation, legislation that does not move with the pace of business and debt and that does not embrace and support our innovative leadership.