The assessments were required by a 2023 executive order on AI focusing on the risk of AI to systems that support water, electricity, and food production. Image: Summit Art Creations/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffWhile federal agencies with leading roles in protecting critical infrastructure met a deadline of earlier this year of submitting initial risk assessments to DHS, none fully addressed risks associated with artificial intelligence, the GAO has said.
All of the 17 “sector risk management agencies” identified potential AI use cases—such as monitoring and enhancing digital and physical surveillance—and 16 identified potential risks and potential mitigation strategies, but none fully evaluated the level of risk, including the likelihood of an event occurring, the GAO said.
“None of the assessments fully evaluated the level of risk in that they did not include a measurement that reflected both the magnitude of harm (level of impact) and the probability of an event occurring (likelihood of occurrence),” GAO said. “Further, no agencies fully mapped mitigation strategies to risks because the level of risk was not evaluated.”
The assessments were required by a 2023 executive order on AI, which among other things focused on the risk of AI to systems that support functions such as supplying water, generating electricity, and producing food.
GAO added that while DHS since has issued new guidance and a revised risk assessment template, that “does not fully address the activities for identifying potential risks including the likelihood of a risk occurring.” It said DHS agreed with recommendations to update its guidance and template for AI risk assessments to address the remaining gaps.
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