04.13.2023. SENATE DEMOCRATS. Schumer Launches Major Effort To Get Ahead Of Artificial Intelligence

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES

New York, N.Y. –  Today, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) launched a first-of-its-kind effort to advance and manage one of the fastest moving, and most consequential industries across the globe: artificial intelligence (AI). Time is of the essence to ensure this powerful new technology and it’s potentially wide-ranging impact on society is put to proper use by advancing strong, bipartisan legislation. 

For months now, Leader Schumer has been discussing and circulating a high-level framework that outlines a new regulatory regime for artificial intelligence, engaging leading artificial intelligence experts to help inform the proposal. Given the AI industry’s consequential and fast-moving impact on our society and global economy, Sen. Schumer’s urgency to act is high. Leader Schumer believes the Chinese Communist Party’s release this week of their own approach to regulating AI is a wake-up call to the nation and urgent action is required for the U.S. to stay ahead of China and shape and leverage this powerful technology. Leader Schumer believes that it is imperative for the United States to lead and shape the rules governing such a transformative technology and not permit China to lead on innovation or write the rules of the road.

“The Age of AI is here, and here to stay,” said U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer. “Now is the time to develop, harness, and advance its potential to benefit our country for generations. Given the AI industry’s consequential and fast moving impact on society, national security, and the global economy, I’ve worked with some of the leading AI practitioners and thought leaders to create a framework that outlines a new regulatory regime that would prevent potentially catastrophic damage to our country while simultaneously making sure the U.S. advances and leads in this transformative technology. But there is much more work to do and we must move quickly. I look forward to working across the aisle, across the industry and across the country and beyond, to shape this proposal and refine legislation to make sure AI delivers on its promise to create a better world.”

Though Leader Schumer’s approach is broad, it focuses on building a flexible and resilient AI policy framework across the federal government that can adapt as the technology continues to advance, allowing for innovation and continued U.S. leadership in the development of this critical technology, while enhancing security, accountability, and transparency. In the coming weeks, Leader Schumer plans to refine the proposal in conjunction with stakeholders from academia, advocacy organizations, industry, and the government. Working across relevant Senate committees, this initiative will include robust oversight efforts, as well as the development of a comprehensive legislative proposal for consideration, a process Sen. Schumer urges and welcomes his Republican colleagues to join.

Leader Schumer’s framework will advance four guardrails to deliver transparent, responsible AI while not stifling critical and cutting-edge innovation.

It will require companies to allow independent experts to review and test AI technologies ahead of a public release or update, and give users access to those results. That disclosure is the foundation of the four guardrails: Who, Where, How, and Protect. The first three guardrails – Who, Where, and How – will inform users, give the government the data needed to properly regulate  AI technology, and reduce potential harm. The final guardrail – Protect – will focus on aligning these systems with American values and ensuring that AI developers deliver on their promise to create a better world.

These guardrails will increase transparency, responsibility, and accountability of AI technologies, while reducing the potential for misuse, and the promotion of misinformation and bias, making them beneficial for all Americans.

Over the previous weeks, Majority Leader Schumer has shared his proposal with leading AI experts – a constructive process that will continue and expand to further shape the framework and refine legislation, working with leading AI-focused think tanks, research institutions, and industry experts.

Schumer’s effort is intended to provide a vision for how American innovation and security and values will shape the AI Age.

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  • April 17, 2023 “AI … Is Here To Stay”: Schumer Unveils Legislative Framework to Advance American AI – Advisory; Arnold&Porter
  • Federal AI Developments: Leader Schumer Unveils AI Legislative Framework, Reintroduction of AI for National Security Act and FTC Interest – Akin
  • Scoop: Schumer lays groundwork for Congress to regulate AI – Axios
  • Elon Musk meets Congress leader Schumer to warn of AI apocalypse ‘AI has great power to do good and evil,’ tech billionaire says, ‘better the former’ – The Independent
    • Elon Musk met with US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday to outline his fears surrounding artificial intelligence.
    • The SpaceX, Tesla and Twitter CEO told reporters that they talked about “the future” in a meeting that lasted around an hour.
    • “That which affects safety of the public has, over time, become regulated to ensure that companies do not cut corners. AI has great power to do good and evil. Better the former.”
    • Mr Musk has frequently spoken about his concerns with advanced AI, previously claiming that they are “more dangerous than nukes” and pose an existential threat to humanity.
    • Earlier this month, Mr Schumer, a Democrat, said he had launched an effort to establish rules on artificial intelligence to address national security and education concerns, as use of programs like ChatGPT becomes widespread.
    • Mr Schumer said he had drafted and circulated a “framework that outlines a new regulatory regime that would prevent potentially catastrophic damage to our country while simultaneously making sure the US advances and leads in this transformative technology.”
    • In March, Mr Musk and a group of artificial intelligence experts and industry executives called for a six-month pause in developing systems more powerful than OpenAI’s newly launched GPT-4, in an open letter citing potential risks to society.
    • “Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable,” said the letter issued by the Future of Life Institute.
    • There is a growing push in Washington for AI regulations. Senate Intelligence Committee chair Mark Warner, a Democrat, sent major AI CEOs a letter Wednesday asking them to take steps to address concerns.
    • Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, told reporters Wednesday the Biden administration is working “as aggressively as possible to figure out our approach” to AI.
    • “The challenge is you don’t want to stifle innovation in a brand new area with massive potential,” Ms Raimondo said. “The risks related to misinformation and deep fakes etcetera are massive.”
    • In January, Mr Musk met two top White House officials in Washington to discuss how Tesla and the administration of President Joe Biden could work together to advance electric vehicle production. He also visited with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, in a meeting earlier this year.
    • Earlier this month, Mr Musk said he was working on an alternative to OpenAI’s popular AI chatbot ChatGPT.