Promoting diversity in AI talent training
Rep. Valerie Foushee (D.N.C.) and Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) have teamed up to introduce the Expanding AI Voices Act, a new bill that would codify the National Science Foundation’s ExpandAI program. NSF efforts improve access to artificial intelligence education and workforce development.
This bill would accomplish this by:
Expanding access to minority-serving institutions, local universities, and first-generation students. Connect ExpandAI with eligible awardees and participants at NSF’s National Institute for AI. Incorporate activities that incorporate “ethical and responsible practices and principles” into AI education and related fields.
“As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms our economy and society, Congress must ensure that working Americans and communities across the country can participate and benefit from the jobs and opportunities AI creates,” Fouthi said in a press release.
Department of Commerce requests launch of PSA on AI
California Republican Rep. Jay Obanolte and California Democratic Rep. Nanette Barragan formally introduced the Artificial Intelligence Awareness and Education Campaign Act on January 20th. Lawmakers introduced the bill earlier this month.
The bill requires the Secretary of Commerce to design and implement a public awareness campaign to educate the American public about the risks and benefits of using AI in personal and professional settings.
The public awareness campaign will cover the following information:
Workforce opportunities for professionals with AI experience, including within the federal government. Individual rights related to AI. Best practices for identifying AI-generated content. The prevalence of AI in daily life.
Age verification required for chatbots
Representative Michael Lawler (New York) introduced a bill Thursday that would require artificial intelligence chatbots to implement age verification measures and establish protections for underage users.
The proposal was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Nextgov/FCW reached out to Mr. Lawler’s office but did not receive bill materials prior to publication.
AI in regulatory review
Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah) introduced a bill Thursday that would require agencies to use AI to review regulations.
The measure requires the Office of Management and Budget to develop an annual process to use AI to identify “duplicate or obsolete regulations” in the Code of Federal Regulations. This tool is used to recommend the removal of regulations, and identified directives are referred to the appropriate government agency for a final decision.
Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) introduced a companion bill in the Senate last March. The new measure was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
“This bill will give the government tools to help reduce waste and save time, and it will give job creators and taxpayers an opportunity to see how much the government can do to get out of their way and reduce the money siphoned from their pockets,” Husted said in a press release Friday.
Export control and AI small business bills pass committee
On Wednesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee overwhelmingly passed the Artificial Intelligence Verified Export Surveillance and Restriction of Weaponable Advanced Technologies to Targeted High-Risk Actors Act, the AI Surveillance Act.
The AI Overwatch Act is an export control bill that protects U.S. access to technology and advanced chips by requiring the export, reexport, or domestic transfer of selected high-performance AI semiconductors to countries of concern.
“Passing this bill out of committee is an important step in protecting America’s technological advantage,” said Rep. John Moolener (R-Mich.), a co-sponsor of the bill. “Advanced AI chips are the foundation of economic growth and military power, and Congress has a responsibility to ensure they do not fuel the Chinese Communist Party’s military modernization or surveillance state. We must protect world-class innovation and the safety of the American people.”
The AI Main Street bill also passed the House on Tuesday night by a vote of 395-14.
This bill would update the Small Business Act and mandate a network of Small Business Development Centers to address concerns regarding the use and training of AI.
AI advertising concerns
Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey sent a letter to AI industry leaders Thursday asking for more information on how companies will protect users from abuse when advertising on their chatbot services.
Following the news that OpenAI would be advertising on the ChatGPT service, Markey asked OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Dario Amodei, Anthropic CEO. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc. and Google. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. Even Spiegel, CEO of Snap Inc. We asked xAI’s CEO, Elon Musk, to provide some information about their user privacy plans.
Among the questions Markey specifically asked OpenAI is detailed information about the process that determines which users are shown selected ads. If you want OpenAI to prevent ads from appearing during sensitive conversations. Whether OpenAI collects data from ad experiences during ChatGPT sessions.
Other companies were asked whether they plan to implement similar advertising models for their chatbot products and how they intend to manage user privacy.
“Because chatbots provide a space for users to share personal thoughts, health questions, family issues, and other sensitive information, companies must not repurpose those exchanges to inform advertising or drive users toward commercial outcomes,” Markey said in a release. “Any effort to leverage conversational data for commercial purposes would be a serious invasion of privacy and undermine the trust users have in these AI chatbots.”
