Young, Cantwell, Bipartisan Colleagues Introduce Bill to Promote Development And Understanding of Artificial Intelligence, Drive Economic Opportunity

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) reintroduced 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 2020 – or FUTURE of AI Act – establishes a federal advisory committee to examine and wrestle with the economic opportunities and impacts AI technologies will continue to have in many aspects of American life.

“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.”

“Artificial Intelligence can help government when applied to challenges like cybersecurity. But we also need to know its impacts on our workforce, as well as consumer privacy,” said Senator Cantwell. “That’s why I am introducing a bipartisan bill today with Senators Young and Markey to bring together important stakeholders from around the country to consider these questions and prepare us to harness the power of AI.”

“Artificial intelligence has immense potential and is already transforming countless facets of American life. I’m proud to partner with Ranking Member Cantwell and Senator Young on this important legislation because it is critical that we have a full understanding of both the benefits and harms that artificial intelligence systems present, paying particular attention to vulnerable and historically underrepresented groups,” said Senator Markey.

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.