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Michael Atkinson

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Michael K. Atkinson is the former chief watchdog of the U.S. intelligence agencies and served in senior U.S. Department of Justice roles spanning two decades. He has led dozens of high-profile investigations and offers clients a rare combination of experience in criminal defense and corporate compliance. Michael's practice focuses on white collar defense, national security, internal and congressional investigations, and parallel civil and regulatory enforcement proceedings. His work also includes high-stakes compliance advice on strategic issues such as cross-border investigations and the use of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) programs. He is a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C. office, working with the White Collar & Regulatory Enforcement and Investigations groups. Michael is also a co-leader of the firm’s National Security Practice and Whistleblower Working Group.

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On July 21, 2023, the Biden administration announced that seven companies leading the development of artificial intelligence (AI) — Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI — have made voluntary commitments, which the companies agreed to undertake immediately, to help move towards safe, secure, and transparent development of AI technology. The goal of the voluntary commitments, or the “AI Agreement” as it is informally dubbed, is to establish a set of standards that promote the principles of safety, security, and trust deemed fundamental to the future of AI.

Continue Reading Private Sector Helps Lead the Way: Biden-Harris Administration Secures Voluntary Commitments from Leading Artificial Intelligence Companies to Manage the Risks Posed by AI

On March 17, 2022, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) published an initial draft of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) Risk Management Framework (“AI RMF”) to promote the development and use of responsible AI technologies and systems.  When final, the three-part AI RMF is intended for voluntary use and to improve the ability to…