A group of four senators, led by United States Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, has put forward a proposal urging Congress to allocate a minimum of $32 billion over the next three years for the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and the establishment of safeguards around its use. This move is part of the U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to regulate and promote AI development. It comes shortly after bipartisan legislation was introduced to support President Joe Biden’s administration in implementing export controls on leading AI models created within the country.
Following extensive consultations with industry experts and critics of AI, the bipartisan working group recognized the significance of investing in AI to maintain the U.S.’s competitiveness globally and enhance the quality of life for Americans. They emphasized the potential of this technology in areas such as cancer treatment and managing chronic illnesses.
While the roadmap presented by the senators does not constitute a concrete bill or policy proposal, it offers a glimpse into the scale and importance of future AI legislation. It paves the way for more comprehensive and detailed policies to be developed.
The senators’ proposal also includes measures to enforce existing laws pertaining to AI, with a focus on addressing any gaps or unintended biases. They emphasize the need to establish standards for testing AI systems to better understand potential harms and to create specific requirements for transparency and explainability in different use cases. Additionally, the group recommends conducting studies to assess the impact of AI on jobs and the American workforce.
The AI Working Group’s efforts to regulate the rapid progress of generative AI (genAI) and general AI development and adoption are not the first of their kind. In February, the National Institute of Standards and Technology established the AI Safety Institute Consortium, which brought together over 200 organizations to develop safety guidelines for AI systems.
Experts point out that the U.S. is lagging behind countries like the European Union in terms of AI regulation. In March, the EU implemented a comprehensive new law governing AI across its 27 member states, placing pressure on the U.S. to catch up. This law introduced safeguards for general-purpose AI, restricted the use of biometric identification systems by law enforcement, prohibited online social scoring, AI manipulation, and exploitation of user vulnerabilities, and granted consumers the right to lodge complaints and receive “meaningful explanations” from AI providers.
Magazine:
How to prevent the AI apocalypse: Insights from David Brin, author of Uplift