Congress Mulls AI-Focused Bills on Transparency, Competition

Two new AI-linked bills were introduced by U.S. senators on Thursday. The first was a bill requiring the government to disclose when it’s using AI, and the other proposed the establishment of an Office of Global Competition Analysis to make sure the U.S. doesn’t fall behind in major tech spaces such as artificial intelligence development.

“We cannot afford to lose our competitive edge in strategic technologies like semiconductors, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence to competitors like China,” said senator Michael Bennet (via Reuters), underlining the importance of having an office dedicated to ensuring the U.S. maintains pace with other global superpowers ahead of the speculated-to-be-incoming AI superintelligence era.

As for the transparency bill introduced by Senators Gary Peters alongside Senators Mike Braun and James Lankford, it proposes that government agencies using AI be compelled to alert people when they’re interacting with artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the bill would force agencies to provide a method to appeal AI-made decisions so citizens aren’t stonewalled by non-human entities.

Peters’ and Bennet’s offices did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s requests for comment.

The federal government isn’t the only entity thinking about its role in the rush for both AI advancement and AI safety protocols. Some of the most important tech companies on Earth are actively calling for the government to get involved, such as Microsoft and its partner OpenAI.

Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, recently went over the company’s stance on how AI should be governed, and Smith used that breakdown to highlight the importance of governing bodies getting ahead of the curve on the issues rather than letting tech companies take the lead and go wild.

Similarly, OpenAI signaled government proactivity was a good idea, but was a bit less keen on the regulatory front.

Two new AI-linked bills were introduced by U.S. senators on Thursday. The first was a bill requiring the government to disclose when it’s using AI, and the other proposed the establishment of an Office of Global Competition Analysis to make sure the U.S. doesn’t fall behind in major tech spaces such as artificial intelligence development.

“We cannot afford to lose our competitive edge in strategic technologies like semiconductors, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence to competitors like China,” said senator Michael Bennet (via Reuters), underlining the importance of having an office dedicated to ensuring the U.S. maintains pace with other global superpowers ahead of the speculated-to-be-incoming AI superintelligence era.

As for the transparency bill introduced by Senators Gary Peters alongside Senators Mike Braun and James Lankford, it proposes that government agencies using AI be compelled to alert people when they’re interacting with artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the bill would force agencies to provide a method to appeal AI-made decisions so citizens aren’t stonewalled by non-human entities.

Peters’ and Bennet’s offices did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s requests for comment.

The federal government isn’t the only entity thinking about its role in the rush for both AI advancement and AI safety protocols. Some of the most important tech companies on Earth are actively calling for the government to get involved, such as Microsoft and its partner OpenAI.

Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, recently went over the company’s stance on how AI should be governed, and Smith used that breakdown to highlight the importance of governing bodies getting ahead of the curve on the issues rather than letting tech companies take the lead and go wild.

Similarly, OpenAI signaled government proactivity was a good idea, but was a bit less keen on the regulatory front.