THORNBERRY AND SMITH MAKE APPOINTMENTS TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COMMISSION

Nov 14, 2018
Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), respectively the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, have appointed the following individuals to serve on the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. The Commission is intended to review advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and associated technologies with national security implications, including the competitiveness of U.S. efforts, international trends and cooperation, workforce and education incentives, data standards, and ethical considerations for future application. It was established in Section 1051 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2019. The Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees will each appoint one commissioner. 

Chairman Thornberry has appointed Dr. Eric Schmidt. Schmidt is the Chairman of the Defense Innovation Board and a technical advisor to the board of Alphabet, where he was formerly the Executive Chairman. Prior to the establishment of Alphabet, Dr. Schmidt served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Google Inc. Schmidt was a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science from 2009-2017 and has served as the Chairman of the Defense Innovation Board since 2016, where he was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.

Ranking Member Smith has appointed Dr. Eric Horvitz. Eric is a technical fellow and Director of Microsoft Research Labs. He served as president of the Association for the Advancement of AI (AAAI) and on advisory committees for DARPA, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Allen Institute for AI. He has been elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and as a fellow of AAAI and the Association for Computing Machinery. Recognition for his contributions to principles and applications of AI include the Feigenbaum Prize and the Allen Newell Prize. As co-founder and board chair of the Partnership on AI to Support People and Society, Horvitz has led efforts focused on ethical, legal, and safety issues related to the influences of AI advances on people and society.

Subcommittees: