The National Labor Relations Board has named David Gaston, its assistant general counsel, as the agency’s new chief artificial intelligence officer.
The appointment, announced by the NLRB on Thursday, comes as federal agencies continue to select members of their leadership teams to head internal efforts with artificial intelligence — and also as major unions and labor groups seek to mitigate the impact of AI on their members’ work.
Other agencies have selected technical leaders, like chief data officers, to fill the position. For this reason, Gaston somewhat stands out. He’s a lawyer by training and previously served as an attorney at both the Departments of Justice and Agriculture. In addition to Gaston’s assistant general counsel role, he’s also the NLRB’s branch chief of eLitigation.
“David is a nationally recognized expert in information governance, technology policy, and digital evidence,” NLRB Chairman Lauren McFerran said in a statement. “We are confident David’s deep experience will tremendously benefit our work, and we look forward to his leadership in this new role.”
In its statement, the agency said that Gaston would be responsible for making sure that the NLRB follows federal directives on artificial intelligence, while also managing its risks.
Many agencies have already named chief artificial intelligence officers, including the National Science Foundation, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, among several others.
The new category of position reflects the Biden administration’s ongoing effort, since the signing of the AI executive order, to establish a federal regulatory paradigm for the technology. Under new guidance from the Office of Management and Budget, these officials will have an influence over the management of some of the more sensitive applications of AI within their agencies.
