The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday announced the formation of a bipartisan task force as legislative efforts to regulate AI continue to hit roadblocks.
What Happened: Despite numerous high-level discussions and legislative proposals over the past year, efforts to pass AI-related legislation in Congress have stalled, Reuters reported.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said that the task force would explore potential legislation to address AI concerns.
It will produce a comprehensive report and consider “guardrails that may be appropriate to safeguard the nation against current and emerging threats.”
Generative AI, which can create text, photos, and videos in response to open-ended prompts, has sparked both excitement and fears. This includes the potential to render some jobs obsolete, disrupt elections, and potentially surpass human capabilities with catastrophic consequences.
The issue gained renewed attention after a fake robocall in January, imitating President Joe Biden, attempted to dissuade people from voting for him in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary election.
The Federal Communications Commission has since declared such calls, made with AI-generated voices, to be illegal, the report noted.
The task force report will include guiding principles, forward-looking recommendations, and bipartisan policy proposals developed in consultation with congressional committees. The report will also outline the regulatory standards and congressional actions needed to protect consumers and foster continued investment and innovation in AI.
Why It Matters: The formation of the AI task force comes after President Biden signed an executive order on AI in October 2023, aiming to reduce the risks associated with AI. This move was followed by leading tech companies such as Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and Alphabet giving voluntary commitments to the government to deploy AI safely.
Despite the potential benefits of AI, concerns about its potential hazards have been raised by industry leaders. Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has previously warned about the dangers of “very subtle societal misalignments” in unregulated AI systems, calling for a regulatory body to oversee AI’s rapid advancement.
Meanwhile, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, last month expressed optimism about AI, stating that AI tools are “much more likely to help us and save us even than they are to unbalance, hurt us, and destroy us.” Bezos made these comments during an interview in which he discussed the potential of AI to revolutionize business support.
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