OMB seeks input on privacy impact assessments for AI use

The White House Office of Management and Budget is looking for input on how federal agency privacy impact assessments could more effectively mitigate risks as technologies, such as artificial intelligence, become more advanced.

The request for information, which is required by President Joe Biden’s recent AI executive order, appeared on the Federal Register public inspection Friday and is set for official publication Jan. 30. Comments are due within 60 days of publication.

OMB is asking specifically for comments on topics such as risks related to AI that agencies might consider when completing privacy impact statements — which agencies use to analyze the handling of information — and updates OMB might make to guidance to improve how agencies address and mitigate those risks.

“Existing privacy risks are escalating, and new privacy risks are emerging,” OMB said in the request. “It is important to hear from the public as OMB considers what updates to PIA guidance may be necessary to ensure that PIAs continue to facilitate robust analysis and transparency about how agencies address these evolving privacy risks.”