The United States Senate has presented a bill that would create a task force to examine the country’s policies on artificial intelligence (AI) and specify how best to reduce hazards to privacy, civil freedoms, and due process. The proposed AI Task Force, which could contain cabinet members, would be responsible for determining shortfalls in the regulatory supervision of AI and advise reforms if needed.
AI has gained popularity worldwide and has been used for years to create text, imagery, and other content. However, its uncontrolled use has prompted countries around the world to figure out if and how to control it. In the US, national security specialists have voiced concerns about its use by foreign antagonists, and teachers have grumbled about its use in exams and projects.
Under the bill, the task force would include an official from the Office of Management and Budget, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, as well as privacy and civil liberties officers from the Departments of Justice, State, Treasury, Defense, and other executive branch agencies.
The job of the task force will be to determine shortfalls in the regulatory supervision of AI and advise reforms if needed. “There’s going to have to be a lot of education around this set of issues because they’re not well understood,” said Bennet, a Democrat from Colorado. “There’s going to be a lot of improvisation and iterative approaches to try to wrestle with this because AI is so new to everyone in the government.”
Under the terms of the bill, the task force would work for 18 months, issue a final report, and then shut down. The move is seen as a necessary step to ensure that AI is used safely and ethically while minimizing the risks it poses to privacy, civil liberties, and due process.
