WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has convened high-profile forums on artificial intelligence for months. Now, the two leaders of the House are getting in on the action as lawmakers struggle to regulate the fast-moving technology.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Tuesday that they are launching a bipartisan task force on artificial intelligence (AI) to explore how Congress can help America be a leader in AI innovation and to study guardrails to protect against potential threats caused by the technology, including deepfakes, the spread of misinformation, and job replacement.
The two House leaders have each appointed 12 members to the task force. It will be led by two Californians with computer science backgrounds: Chairman Jay Obernolte, a Republican who earned his master’s degree in AI and owns a video game development company, and Co-Chairman Ted Lieu, a member of the Democratic leadership team who last year wrote a bill to regulate AI using the AI chatbot ChatGPT.
Both Obernolte and Lieu were featured in an NBC News story last year where they warned their colleagues to take seriously the threats posed by AI while acknowledging that Congress has failed to impose regulations on powerful social media companies.
The new task force will tasked with writing a comprehensive report that will include guiding principles, recommendations and policy proposals developed with help from House committees of jurisdiction, the leaders said.
“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.
“As we look to the future, Congress must continue to encourage innovation and maintain our country’s competitive edge, protect our national security, and carefully consider what guardrails may be needed to ensure the development of safe and trustworthy technology.”
Jeffries added: “Congress has a responsibility to facilitate the promising breakthroughs that artificial intelligence can bring to fruition and ensure that everyday Americans benefit from these advancements in an equitable manner.”
“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,” he continued. “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.”
In addition to Obernolte, the other Republicans are: Reps. Neal Dunn, Kat Cammack, Scott Franklin and Laurel Lee, all of Florida; Darrell Issa and Michelle Steel, both of California; French Hill of Arkansas; Michael Cloud of Texas; Ben Cline of Virginia; Eric Burlison of Missouri; and Rich McCormick of Georgia.
In addition to Lieu, the other Democrats are: Reps. Anna Eshoo, Ami Bera and Sara Jacobs, all of California; Yvette Clarke and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both of New York; Bill Foster of Illinois; Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon; Don Beyer of Virginia; Haley Stevens of Michigan; Valerie Foushee of North Carolina; and Brittany Pettersen of Colorado.
Separately, another Californian, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna hosted an AI forum on Capitol Hill on Feb. 15 focused on worker equity, deception and manipulation using AI, and preparing American society, specifically children, for an AI-integrated world.
Participants included AI scholars, labor leaders and the science fiction writer Ted Chiang.