In a sweeping executive order, US President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Monday set up a comprehensive series of standards, safety and privacy protections, and oversight measures for the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Among more than two dozen initiatives, Biden's "Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence" order was a long time coming, according to many observers who've been watching the AI space - especially with the rise of generative AI (genAI) in the past year.

Along with security and safety measures, Biden's edict addresses Americans' privacy and genAI problems revolving around bias and civil rights. GenAI-based automated hiring systems, for example, have been found to have baked-in biases they can give some job applicants advantages based on their race or gender.

Using existing guidance under the Defense Production Act, a Cold War