Today's Glimpse, Tomorrow's Headlines? Senate Committee Grills AI Leaders In The Open Before Closed Door Meeting

A day before tech heavyweights Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Sam Altman are scheduled to meet behind closed doors at the U.S. Senate, artificial intelligence (AI) industry representatives faced a barrage of questions hinting at the broader concerns Congress might have for tomorrow's big players.

In a live-streamed hearing titled, "Oversight of A.I.: Legislating on Artificial Intelligence," witnesses from leading AI companies Microsoft Corp. MSFT and Nvidia Corp NVDA were subjected to an inquiry led by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

While the precise questions for Wednesday's meeting remain cloaked in secrecy, the lines of inquiry today potentially reveal the Senate's areas of interest.

The major talking points revolved around:

Deceptive AI and Politics: There's a potential call to prohibit the use of misleading AI-generated content during elections.

Chatbot Age Limits: A heated exchange between Microsoft's lawyer and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) revolved around age restrictions on chatbots. While Microsoft stands by its age limit of 13, Hawley argued for something higher, closer to 18 years old.

Data Handling: Questions on data storage locations and access permissions came out.

AI in Crime: The committee discussed the need to outlaw the use of AI for criminal activities, including scams.

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Content Rights and AI: In a nod to content producers, there were suggestions that AI companies negotiate with creators — such as journalists and photographers — to compensate them when their content trains AI models.

Nvidia's Chief Scientist and Senior Vice President of Research William Dally was quick to mention its agreement with Getty Images Holdings Inc GETY for its generative AI, Picasso.

Countering Hateful AI: An area of concern is stopping companies — both foreign and domestic — from distributing AI-driven hateful content in the U.S.

AI Transparency: The Senate called for some kind of “this was made with AI” disclosure to be given to a recipient of AI-generated content.

Security and Foreign Threats: There were discussions about the AI strategies of foreign nations and the role of U.S. AI entities in countering any software warfare.

Anticipating Legislation: The Judiciary hearing, led by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Hawley, follows a recently revealed legislative framework for AI regulation. The bipartisan blueprint suggests an independent oversight body for AI companies, clarifies the non-applicability of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 to AI, according to NBC News, and mandates companies to label interactions with AI systems.

“Top industry executives and leading experts will help us shape legislation to protect against AI harms,” Blumenthal said.

In the run-up to the gathering, Tuesday's hearing might just have offered a glimpse into the areas of priority for Congress.

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