Democrats, Republicans unite to regulate AI development: “Congress needs to get involved”

Lawmakers at the highly polarized 118th Congress appear to be finding some common ground when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI). Several have indicated they would like to see some sort of regulation to rein in the fast-moving sector after being warned by tech industry leaders.

“I think what you need to do is identify what isn’t allowed in terms of ethics and illegal activity, whether it’s AI or not – you impose the same level of ethics and privacy on AI activity that you do.” do for other competencies today,” Sen. Mike Rounds, a chair of the Senate AI Caucus, told Fox News Digital.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Gary Peters, D-Mich., pointed out to Fox News Digital that his committee recently held a hearing on the “pros and cons” of AI technology.

“I intend to have a series of hearings on homeland security and government affairs on the subject of AI and what we should be thinking about,” added Peters.

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It follows a dramatic letter signed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and other tech giants calling for a six-month hiatus for advanced AI developments, citing “profound risks to society and humanity.” to be named.

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who last week sent a letter to the heads of tech companies urging them to consider child safety when adopting AI systems like chatbots, suggested that an agency be created could become to regulate the relative constraint-free AI industry “long term”. For now, however, the senator said those companies need to self-monitor.

“I think we have a role to play,” he said when asked if Congress should step in to regulate AI. “In the long run I think what we could do is set up an agency here. They can negotiate on behalf of the American people, so we can actually negotiate about privacy… In the short term, I think it’s going to be important for technology to monitor itself.”

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Senator Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat and chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, interferes during a hearing in Washington, DC November 17, 2022. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, shared a similar proposal, noting that he co-led legislation in the previous Congress aimed at enacting further impediments to the growth of AI.

“Congress needs to figure out what to do about it. We have worked with it [Retired Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio] introduce an AI law, an AI commission in government,” Schatz told Fox News Digital. “I think we should do something broader for AI across the private sector. But I think the first step is recognizing that this is a legitimate area for federal policy.”

However, in his earlier comments, Rounds questioned whether the existing laws are sufficient to cover the fast-moving sector.

“So when you’re in a business, you know there are certain rules that you can’t break,” Rounds said. “The same things need to be applied to AI. The question is, do we have the appropriate language in the law today to address the things that AI could do that we didn’t think of in our existing law?”

Senator JD Vance, R-Ohio, will participate in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing entitled “Strengthening Airline Operations and Consumer Protection” at the Russell Building on Thursday, February 9, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Over on the House side, Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., a leader in efforts to crack down on big tech, also called on Congress to take the reins.

“With the advent of AI come both opportunities and challenges. We’ve seen the impact and fallout of a decade of inaction on big tech. Congress cannot afford to be caught asleep behind the wheel again to spread propaganda, dangerously restructure our economy and increase the size of the current big tech monopolies,” Buck told Fox News Digital.

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However, Senator JD Vance, R-Ohio, broke away from his Senate peers to warn them not to take action until they understand the complicated technology.

“It is far too early to tell what role Congress should play. I think we need to understand this a little better now. “So I wouldn’t want to commit to a congressional strategy before we even understand the issue.”