US Federal Policies: Blockchain & Artificial Intelligence

Federal agencies are looking forward to the evaluation and implementation of technologies such as blockchain which use encryption and coding to improve transparency, effectiveness, and trust in information sharing. Such technologies use cases that are submitted for exploration and cut across many parts and processes of an organization. The U.S Federal Blockchain program was initiated for those who have an interest in the exploration of distributed ledger technologies within the U.S government. With a rise in internet usage, cases of identity theft and fraud have been on the rise. Research shows that identity fraud has the largest percentage of data breaches. Although Cybersecurity is improving with each new threat, it still is not able to handle the breaches. Blockchain has risen to the occasion and is the most ideal in the prevention of such breaches while using its immutability nature. Blockchain gets rid of verification bottlenecks when used in ID verification, thus giving new dimensions to security and providing accurate results. Systems designed for multi-factor authentication while relying on biometric information benefit well from using Blockchain. The U.S Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiative is governed by a few principles while still promoting an international environment that supports innovation. Following an announcement of a National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, the U.S Department of Defense has set aside a large budget geared toward the development of AI. This commission is looking into the implications of the use of artificial intelligence, such as the ethical considerations of AI in defense. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency is looking into different ways the military can use AI. The government, through the Department of Defense, has an AI center that explores the use of AI aiming at establishing an ethical framework for AI.