WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday he would provide a framework for addressing the risks and potential benefits of artificial intelligence in the coming weeks, which will then be translated into piecemeal legislation.
The Biden administration and lawmakers, concerned about how AI could influence elections or sway Americans, have pushed for AI regulation, but a polarized U.S. Congress has made little progress. Europe is leading the way, with lawmakers there drawing up AI rules.
The roadmap, Schumer said, would be based on expert input and would address thorny issues arising from artificial intelligence, from its impact on intellectual property and labor rights to healthcare and “doomsday scenarios.”
“In this roadmap, which is coming out in a few weeks, you’ll see that there are a lot of good guidelines and ideas about how Congress should move forward,” he said during an interview at an AI summit in Washington. I see various committees playing a role and translating and concretizing that into legislation,” he added.
US officials have warned that AI could increase the risk of bias and facilitate election interference through deep fakes. They also fear that powerful AI models in the hands of bad actors could be used to create bioweapons or launch muscular cyberattacks, with particular concerns surrounding China.
“If we don’t do anything, China with a completely different system – their AI is interested in things like facial recognition and surveillance and things like that – could get ahead of us,” Schumer added, while also highlighting the potential for AI to have a negative can influence elections.
Schumer said lawmakers would approach the issues incrementally. “Some committees are a little further along than others. We’re not going to wait for one big comprehensive plan that touches everything,” he said.
(Reporting by Michael Martina and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Andrea Ricci)
