Members of the US Congress have expressed concern about artificial intelligence (AI) but are yet to introduce legislation to regulate its use, reported first by The New York Times.
Despite the technology's growth and application, few lawmakers have a deep understanding of AI, says Jay Obernolte, a Republican member of Congress who is the only one with a master's degree in the subject.
"Before regulation, there needs to be agreement on what the dangers are, and that requires a deep understanding of what AI is," Obernolte said.
Lack of Regulation
A boom in AI has gripped Silicon Valley, with Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta racing to develop the technology. AI's spread has sparked a debate over its limits, with concerns raised over its ability to replace human jobs and even become sentient.
A lack of regulation is also encouraging companies to prioritize financial and commercial interests over safety, according to Carly Kind, director of the Ada Lovelace Institute, an organization in London focused on responsible technology use. By failing to establish guardrails, policymakers are creating conditions for a race to the bottom in irresponsible AI, she warned.
In contrast to the US, the European Union (EU) has been taking a leadership role in regulating AI. In 2021, EU policymakers proposed a law aimed at regulating AI technologies that might cause the most harm, such as facial recognition and applications linked to critical public infrastructure.
The proposed law would require AI manufacturers to conduct risk assessments of how their applications could affect health, safety, and individual rights such as freedom of expression. Companies that breached the law could be fined up to 6% of their global revenue, which could total billions of dollars for the world's largest tech platforms.
However, the US is not entirely passive in AI regulation. The federal government has been deeply involved in AI for over six decades, with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funding research and development of the technology in the 1960s.
US Efforts in Regulating AI
In November 2016, the Senate Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness held the first congressional hearing on AI, following criticism from physicist Stephen Hawking and Tesla CEO Elon Musk that AI was becoming dangerously intelligent and could lead to the end of the human race.
In April 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a set of guidelines for businesses using AI, outlining best practices for ensuring transparency and fairness in AI decision-making. The guidelines address issues such as bias, explainability, and data privacy.
In addition to the FTC guidelines, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working on developing a framework for managing and mitigating AI risk. The framework is expected to cover issues such as trustworthiness, explainability, and security.
The US government has also introduced bills aimed at regulating AI in specific areas such as facial recognition technology. For example, the Facial Recognition and Biometric Technology Moratorium Act was introduced in the US House of Representatives in June 2021, which seeks to ban the use of facial recognition technology by federal law enforcement agencies.
However, the US is yet to establish federal law to regulate AI at an institutional level. This could mean that the tech's development and use are largely unchecked without concrete, institutionalized measures.
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