After attending their initial classified briefing on artificial intelligence (AI), senators departed with heightened apprehension regarding the potential dangers associated with this technology. However, they were unable to establish a clear roadmap for legislative action to regulate the rapidly expanding AI industry.
A briefing was held on Tuesday at the request of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other senators, who emphasized the importance of knowledge in the rapidly developing field of artificial intelligence (AI). Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence; Kathleen Hicks, Deputy Secretary of Defence; and Arati Prabhakar, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, were among the esteemed individuals invited to share their perspectives with senators on the potential benefits and risks of AI.
Prior to the pause, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) stated that “AI has this extraordinary potential to make our lives better.” “If it doesn’t kill us first,” he continued.
In recent months, Congress and the administration have been eagerly trying to comprehend the advantages and disadvantages of generative AI, particularly in light of the rapid growth of OpenAI’s ChatGPT tool after its late November introduction.
Video, audio, and image-based tools, as well as AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, have increased worries about the spread of false information from so-called hallucinations or false information shared by the chatbots, as well as additional risks of how the technology could be weaponized.
Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the working group that requested the briefings on AI, acknowledged that the discussion surrounding AI has not been driven by partisan lines. He emphasized the need for lawmakers to comprehend both the functionality of AI and the potential risks associated with its limitations. Senator Heinrich emphasized the importance of understanding that AI models are based on statistical predictions rather than providing actual intelligence, and that they are designed to generate responses that sound appropriate in English rather than revealing the truth.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) claims that the huge language models used to train AI systems have no intent to be accurate. She expressed worry that there are serious risks involved since artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to produce responses that appear reasonable while repeatedly spreading false information.
However, views among lawmakers varied over whether and how they wanted to regulate AI.
Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) stated that he left the briefing with more concern about the significant challenges that still needed to be overcome and that the Senate must pass legislation to address these problems. Although he praised the briefing for being a part of a continuous and fruitful discussion about the benefits and hazards of AI, he added that there has yet to be a majority consensus on a legislative resolution to regulate the technology.
Any path towards regulation would be difficult, according to Senate Intelligence Committee chairman and Florida senator Marco Rubio (R).
He said, “The one thing I’m certain of is: I know of no technological advance in human history you’ve been able to roll back. It’s going to happen. The question is how do we build guardrails and practices around it so that we can maximize its benefits and diminish its harm.”
In addition, Senator Marco Rubio warned that lawmakers would encounter limitations when attempting to regulate private entities that are promoting the advancement of AI on a global scale. He explained that while restrictions can be imposed on how the government uses AI and the activities of companies within the United States, AI is not an area where knowledge and engineering can be confined within national borders. He expressed doubt that regulating AI solely within one country would solve the global challenges and prevent other nations from developing AI capabilities that are not permitted in one’s own country.
Senator Marco Rubio made it clear that he supports the regulation of artificial intelligence. He acknowledged, though, that he doesn’t know enough about AI at the moment to completely understand what has to be regulated. He admitted that codifying AI use in defense and other government sectors might have a place, but he held off on expressing any further opinions. Senator Rubio is of the opinion that lawmakers are still trying to grasp and learn about artificial intelligence.
Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) referred to AI as “uncharted waters” and suggested that Congress should primarily focus on addressing the use of AI in the political sphere. She emphasized the need for setting parameters to help individuals identify AI-generated content, particularly in politics so that they can discern its reliability. However, Senator Hirono acknowledged that there are numerous other applications and uses of AI that are still not fully understood or within Congress’s scope of control.
Several lawmakers are advising Congress to exercise caution when it comes to implementing regulations that could potentially harm competition. This concern aligns with the perspective raised by leading tech companies in the field of AI.
Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) expressed a cautious approach to regulating AI, stating that while the risks and implications of the technology cannot be ignored, it also cannot be stifled through excessive regulation.
Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, emphasized the importance of transparency for tech companies as they advance AI tools. He also noted that the concerns about AI being dystopian are based on a future that is far beyond the current capabilities of AI. Clegg acknowledged that we are still in the early stages of AI development and there is time for both the technology and the necessary regulations to evolve.
The briefing held on Tuesday is part of Senator Schumer’s plan to regulate the flourishing AI industry. This plan includes expert forums that will be convened later in the year. Last month, Schumer unveiled a framework for AI regulation and formed a bipartisan group of senators, including Heinrich, Todd Young, and Mike Rounds, to lead the efforts alongside him.
The lack of government regulations in AI has resulted in several voluntary guidelines being proposed, including Senator Schumer’s framework for AI regulation. While the White House’s blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework exists, the tech industry has been left to create its own guidelines.
Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) anticipates the formation of additional hearings and working groups consisting of individuals who are “really interested” in the topic.
He said, “We don’t [know a ton about AI]. It was at a 30,000-foot level and it was more of an introduction. It was very intriguing though. Basically, everybody was saying: listen, technology has been around a long time, but this is something new that is rapidly advancing. But we’ve been using AI around us everywhere and kind of take a deep breath and let’s figure out what the good and what the bad is on it. Sometimes Congress has a tendency to overreact. Let’s not overreact yet because there’s a need here, but there’s also a need here to be cautious and make sure it’s not used by our adversaries.”
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