House leadership announced the creation of a task force dedicated to developing guidelines and guardrails for artificial intelligence, the latest in a series of efforts by Congress to catch up to the fast-improving technology.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced on Tuesday that they were creating a bipartisan task force to work on AI regulations. The task force will be led by Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Ted Lieu (D-CA) and is meant to prepare a report on the technology, including guiding principles, recommendations, and policy proposals.
The Senate has already spent several months providing resources to its staff to understand AI and encourage senators to begin proposing regulatory legislation.
“Because advancements in artificial intelligence have the potential to rapidly transform our economy and our society, it is important for Congress to work in a bipartisan manner to understand and plan for both the promises and the complexities of this transformative technology,” Johnson said in a statement. “I am happy to announce with Leader Jeffries this new Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence to ensure America continues leading in this strategic arena.”
“The rise of artificial intelligence also presents a unique set of challenges, and certain guardrails must be put in place to protect the American people,” Jeffries added. “Congress needs to work in a bipartisan way to ensure that America continues to lead in this emerging space, while also preventing bad actors from exploiting this evolving technology.”
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The task force’s members include 24 members of the House, including Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rich McCormick (R-GA).
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) hosted multiple “AI Insight Forums” in 2023 to provide congressional staffers access to experts in the industry. Schumer emphasized that he intended to pass an AI legislative framework in early 2024. None of the committees have picked up or advanced AI legislation to the floor.
