The Department of Energy (DoE) is preparing an updated version of its Generative Artificial Intelligence Reference Guide to better reflect guidance from the White House’s recent AI executive order (EO), with an emphasis on responsible AI.
DoE’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) released version one of the reference guide in August 2023, which was born out of the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4 in March 2023. The guide looks to provide guidance on key considerations, risks, and best practices associated with the use of generative AI.
According to Brian Epley, DoE’s principal deputy chief information officer (CIO), the reference guide essentially serves as “a responsible use guide,” but version two “is aligned with the executive order and things that will change and evolve in that space.”
“The recent executive order, that’s probably our focus right now. That’s the biggest driver,” Epley said at the GovAI Summit on Wednesday in Arlington, Va. “That doesn’t mean that the mission gets pushed aside, but the reason that’s important is because it’s the responsibility that we all have as consumers of the benefit of AI, as well as other technology.”
Gardy Rosius, associate deputy CIO of architecture, engineering, technology, and innovation (AETI) within DoE’s OCIO, said he was tasked with putting together a tiger team across the department – including DoE’s network of National Labs – to develop the reference guide.
The goal of the guide, he said, is to quickly provide guidance to the rest of the department on how to engage in the generative AI space.
“People sometimes ask the question, ‘Is AI our friend or is AI our enemy?’ And my answer to that is, I think AI is our friend, but just like any good relationship, there are boundaries,” Rosius said. “So, we’re trying to set the boundaries, helping the department to sort of move forward with adoption in a way that we think is consistent with not only with our mission but also with the risks that may be involved.”
“We completed version one of that playbook, and we are looking at updating it, and hopefully, with Brian’s blessing, sometime between now and then, we’ll release version two,” he added. “Version two should incorporate some of the guidance we received in the executive order, and we will continue to iterate with it so that we are staying on pace with what’s happening in that space.”
In addition to the reference guide, Rosius said DoE has also set up an AI Discovery Zone, where developers and researchers can “play around and kick the tires with some of those large language models” in a safe environment.
On top of the AI Discovery Zone as “sort of the larger umbrella,” Rosius said DoE is developing an AI Hub under which DoE will undertake all of its AI activities, including developing use cases.
The AI Hub is currently specific to the department, but Epley added that a broader “Federal AI Hub is the vision.”
