Young Introduces Bill to Promote and Understand the Future of Artificial Intelligence Technology
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), along with Representatives John K. Delaney (D-Md.) and Pete Olson (R-Texas), introduced first-of-its-kind legislation that would promote an enabling environment for the continued development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The forward-looking bill, known as the Fundamentally Understanding the Usability and Realistic Evolution of Artificial Intelligence Act of 2017 – or FUTURE of AI Act – establishes a federal advisory committee to examine and wrestle with the economic opportunities and impacts emerging AI technologies will have in many aspects of American life.
AI technologies are evolving in capability and application at a rapid clip. Yet, the United States currently has no federal policy towards AI and no part of the federal government has ownership of the advancement of this technology.
“Artificial Intelligence has the ability to drastically boost our economy,” said Senator Young. “As Americans continue to interact with this technology every day, and as its capabilities expand, it’s important that we study and prepare for AI’s continued use in our society.”
The FUTURE of AI Act names the Department of Commerce responsible for leading government policy on artificial intelligence and directs the Department to create an advisory committee tasked with submitting recommendations within 18 months on how the government and business can work together to address concerns in four key areas:
- Potential growth, restructuring, and other changes for the U.S. workforce that result from adoption of AI, including potential actions to train and skill workers for an AI workplace.
- Protecting the privacy rights of individuals as AI continues to grow.
- Promoting a climate of innovation to ensure global competitiveness for American companies developing AI technologies.
- Supporting the development and application of unbiased AI.
The AI advisory committee will pull from a wide array of sectors and perspectives. The committee will be comprised of civil liberties groups, labor groups, research institutions and universities, technology companies, the manufacturing sector, data scientists, and federal agency officials, among others.
The section-by-section of the bill can be found HERE.
The full text of the bill can be found HERE.
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