The Western Democrat will lead a new Rhode Island Senate Committee on Artificial Intelligence and its Growing Impact on Life in the Ocean State.
Senator Victoria Gu has been appointed chair of the new Senate Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies. Senate President Dominic Ruggerio formally appointed the seven committee members on Tuesday. However, this committee is so new that it has not yet been listed. General meeting website.
Senate spokesperson Greg Pare confirmed that as of Wednesday afternoon, the committee had not yet decided on its first meeting, but was working on a date for its first meeting.
“I am humbled and honored to lead the Commission on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, and I would like to thank President Ruggerio for his trust in me,” Gu said in a statement Tuesday.
The committee is tasked with scrutinizing “laws and matters related to emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and their social, ethical, and policy implications,” according to one report. news release.
Before announcing his selection of Koo as the new chairman, Ruggerio said in a speech on January 7, the first day of the session, that “One area that needs more focused attention is around rapidly advancing technology.” It’s public policy.”
Also investigating these technologies with Gu are Commission Vice Chairman John Burke of West Warwick, Commissioner Lou DiPalma of Middletown, Sens. Gordon Rogers of Foster and Sam Zurier of Providence. He is a senator. The committee also includes two newly elected faces: Sen. Lori Erso of Pawtucket and Sen. Ramis Vargas of Cranston. Mr. Rogers is the only Republican on the committee.
“As AI and other technologies rapidly expand throughout society, lawmakers across the country are making the necessary changes to ensure residents can benefit from these powerful new tools while protecting them from potential dangers.” “We are currently busy designing a legal and regulatory framework that will allow us to develop a new legal and regulatory framework,” Gu said in the paper. statement.
The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Ms. Gu grew up in South Kingstown schools and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Harvard University. While attending the Ivy League school, Gu took classes in machine learning and coding. While on campus, she also co-produced developer for developmentis a technology collective focused on leveraging technology to help developing countries.
According to senator linkedinAfter graduating from Harvard University, Mr. Gu held various technical positions, including an engineering position in the United States. human diagnosis project and review platform Yelp. Mr. Gu said in a phone interview Wednesday that he is now primarily doing contract work, and his most recent contract ended more than six months ago.
Other committee members with technical experience include Burke, who worked as a programmer and database designer for about 40 years before retiring in 2021, and DiPalma, a technical director at Raytheon Corp. portsmouth facilityfocuses on many defense items in the manufacturer’s portfolio, including radar, mine clearance, and shipborne integration.
RIBridges has many lines of defense. How was the system compromised?
Mr. Gu emphasized the importance of the Smart Technology Law, especially in the midst of the ongoing large-scale economic crisis. RIBridges data breach In early December, Approximately 657,000 people Robbed from the state’s public benefit network by bad actors. Gu reaffirmed Wednesday that the RIBridges breach is a major concern for the fledgling committee, which will pursue “whatever it takes to ensure better cybersecurity practices and resources.”
In recent years, AI-driven innovations have reshaped the cybersecurity industry. The major companies in the security field are: palo alto networks and sophos We’re building machine learning into our software. A.I. usefulness Competence in defense comes from proficiency in areas such as spotting anomalous network traffic that can signal the presence of an intruder on a system.
During the 2024 Congress, several AI-related bills were introduced in the General Assembly, including: S2888sponsored by DiPalma, Gu, and four other senators. The bill, which died in committee, would have regulated companies that use AI to “conduct impact assessments and implement risk management programs,” according to the bill’s text.
“In terms of AI legislation, I would expect that there will probably be some legislation on how AI and automated algorithms are used to make decisions in various areas,” Gu said. said. This “means algorithms that try to predict risk in a variety of areas,” he said. private industry or government sector. ”
industry like health care, housing and higher education The use of algorithmic decision-making requires scrutiny, with research showing noticed That bias can show up in the models that make up the AI.
The question of how to regulate AI was an issue at the national level as well, at least until the creation of the White House commission. Formed in 2018. Most recently, in May 2024, a bipartisan U.S. Senate committee released the following report: Tentative roadmap About the use of AI.
The Rhode Island Senate AI Committee is the latest in a series of federally supported computer science initiatives in the Ocean State. Cyber Security and Advanced Technology Research Institute opened He joined the University of Rhode Island in November 2023 and has since. Dedicated AI degree program under that brand. Meanwhile, Gov. Dan McKee has hired people from a variety of perspectives for his AI task force. February last yearwith the group meeting for the first time In July 2024.
When it comes to ethical and regulatory issues that may arise from new technology, Gu and his colleagues on the committee have a lot to resolve. Some of the largest nationally Environmental impact Utilizing AI in data centers Determining eligibility and deep fakeand Workaround “Hallucination”— incorrect information Output by generation AI.
But at the Rhode Island level, Gu said he expects RI Bridges to be a mainstay in the commission’s early conversations.
Mr. Goo was first elected in 2022 as one of the first Asian Americans to win a General Assembly seat in Rhode Island, along with Sen. Linda Ujifusa of Portsmouth, and serves on the Senate Environment and Agriculture Committee and the Senate Housing and Municipal Affairs Committee. He also serves as a committee member. She was one of 23 senators who supported incumbent President Ruggerio in a vote of the Senate Democratic Caucus in November.
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