Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is leading the effort to regulate artificial intelligence (AI)—a move drawing both bipartisan support and derision.
Key Details
- Democratic Senator Schumer took the first steps in AI regulation last week, laying out his legislative proposals for guardrails that will protect user safety and ensure U.S. innovations maintain a steady pace over China.
- He has proposed a broad framework designed to promote accountability and transparency while identifying who trains AI, disclosing data sources, creating a clear understanding of how it generates responses, and promoting clear ethical boundaries, Axios reports.
- Multiple Republican senators tell Fox News Digital that they are willing to work with Schumer on the proposal—including Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), Senator Ted Budd (R-NC), and Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD)—which could potentially push the bill to nearly a necessary 60-seat majority necessary to pass.
Why It’s News
AI regulation has been a concern for the better part of a year, going back to October 2022, when the White House outlined its vision for an AI Bill of Rights to help ensure consumer protections while emphasizing the importance of innovation. The necessity has only come into greater focus in the months since, with the release of ChatGPT on November 30 and the rapid onset of the “AI arms race.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Microsoft President Brad Smith, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, presidential candidate Andrew Yang, and whistleblower Tristan Harris are among the hundreds of leading business figures and researchers warning that the technology is advancing rapidly. Still, Congress has thus far struggled to keep pace with the innovations of the past five months, which has left companies like Google and Microsoft to regulate themselves amidst high pressure to be teh first to mark with AI applications.
As economic, security, and social considerations continue to mount for AI, lawmakers are facing greater calls to respond. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) notes, “Something is coming. We are not ready.” Majority Leader Schumer’s effort is being pushed quickly, recognizing the potential severity of the situation.
Notable Quote
“Like we helped move the nation forward on chips in a good way that will help American jobs, the American economy, and the American people, we’re going to try to do the same type of stuff on AI,” says Schumer.
