February 20, 2024 (Washington, D.C.) – Today Rep. Don Beyer was appointed by Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Speaker Mike Johnson to serve on the newly formed bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence. The taskforce, appointed in cooperation by the two House leaders, is composed of 12 members of each party drawn from committees of jurisdiction as well as members with particular expertise in AI. It has a mission to lead the House’s exploration of AI’s transformational opportunities and potential challenges, and “to produce a comprehensive report that will include guiding principles, forward-looking recommendations and bipartisan policy proposals.”
“While much of the work of Congress has been engulfed in chaos and dysfunction, AI has remained a bright spot of good faith cooperation between the parties, and I am determined to help keep it that way. The impacts of AI on our society, positive and negative, are profound and require forward-looking solutions. It is my hope that Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries’ AI Taskforce will continue in this spirit to develop real, practicable ideas that will help our country reap the benefits of AI and put guardrails in place to safeguard against risks. I anticipate continued focus on issues that include safety and security, transparency, elections, the future of work, preventing civil rights abuses, health care, and suicide prevention. This is a vital work in progress and an opportunity to help foster significant advancements in technology, medicine, and other areas. We need to get this right, and we have no time to lose.”
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) is Vice Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus and Vice Chair of the New Democrat Coalition’s AI Working Group, and was a member of former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy’s bipartisan working group on AI. He is the author of the AI Foundation Model Transparency Act and a lead cosponsor of the CREATE AI Act, the Federal Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Act, and the Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act.
Beyer previously served for eight years on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and is currently attending George Mason University as a part time student pursuing a master’s degree in machine learning, in part to help inform his work on AI in Congress.