Advances in Artificial Intelligence Has Washington Worried
Senate Majority Leader Schumer Unveils New AI Framework
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) laid out a long-awaited framework on Wednesday to regulate artificial intelligence, hoping to create a path for lawmakers to adopt guardrails many industry insiders say are needed on a technology many members of Congress admit they do not understand.
The majority leader’s “SAFE Innovation Framework” represents the beginning steps for crafting comprehensive bipartisan legislation to confront AI—a point he acknowledged in his speech. According to a one-pager from Schumer’s office, the SAFE stands for security, accountability, foundations, and explain, which together make up four of the five principles underpinning Schumer’s legislative approach to the fast-moving technology. The central policy objectives of the Majority Leader’s SAFE Innovation Framework are:
Security: Safeguard our national security with AI and determine how adversaries use it, and ensure economic security for workers by mitigating and responding to job loss
Accountability: Support the deployment of responsible systems to address concerns around misinformation and bias, support our creators by addressing copyright concerns, protect intellectual property, and address liability
Foundations: Require that AI systems align with our democratic values at their core, protect our elections, promote AI’s societal benefits while avoiding the potential harms, and stop the Chinese Government from writing the rules of the road on AI
Explain: Determine what information the federal government needs from AI developers and deployers to be a better steward of the public good, and what information the public needs to know about an AI system, data, or content
Innovation: Support US-led innovation in AI technologies – including innovation in security, transparency, and accountability – that focuses on unlocking the immense potential of AI and maintaining U.S. leadership in the technology.
The framework is not legislative text, and it's not clear how long it will take for Congress to begin putting together legislative proposals. There has not yet been any legislation introduced in Congress to deal with regulating AI, though a bicameral group of lawmakers introduced a proposal earlier this week that would create a blue-ribbon commission to study AI's impact.
Schumer is encouraging his committee chairs to work with top committee Republicans to begin drafting regulatory proposals.
Constitution Partners Insights and Next Steps
In multiple recent meetings that our team has had with senior members of Congress, concern has been expressed about the rapid advancement of AI in every facet of American lives. Some are beta-testing AI policy programs, and one Senior Senator even said that the future of AI is the most important development that Congress should consider in the near future.
The Biden Administration’s “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights” was issued last October. While this blueprint is not codified, it does identify five principles that should guide the design, use, and deployment of automated systems to protect the American public in the age of artificial intelligence. Given Schumer’s announcement of the SAFE Innovation Framework, we expect executive action on AI guidance in the near future.
While President Biden has senior advisors considering the best next steps, Congress is aggressively conducting hearings to address the challenges of AI, such as human rights and intellectual property concerns. Senators attended their first-ever AI briefing last week to better understand the latest technologies being employed and consider the implications in every aspect of our lives. Two more briefings focused on AI’s future and national security are expected next month.
We will be monitoring developments closely, so stay tuned to our daily curated news and weekly blogs for updates. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out if you need special attention.