US Congressman Ted Lieu said lawmakers will see how Generative Artificial Intelligence regulation works elsewhere – other jurisdictions – especially in the European Union before coming up with its own.
Lieu was speaking with foreign journalists during a reporting tour organised by the Foreign Press Center of the U.S. Department of State at the Capitol Hill on September 14.
Lieu represents California’s 36th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. The official is currently serving his fifth term in Congress and sits on the House Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, and Science, Space, and Technology Committees.
“We will see other jurisdictions (such as the European Union) ahead in AI regulations. And we will see how it goes. Maybe it works really well in the EU, maybe it is a total disaster, maybe it is somewhere in between,” Lieu said.
“If it’s a total disaster, we will not be copying it. If it works really well, we might copy it or parts of it. So, I think it’s actually helpful for US lawmakers to see how other jurisdictions go ahead trying to address the issues raised by generative AI,” he added.
TIME named Lieu in its first-ever TIME100 AI list, which highlighted 100 individuals advancing major conversations about how AI is reshaping the world.
Lieu also made history this year when, in January, he introduced the first-ever piece of federal legislation written by AI, the TIME’s article read.
Using ChatGPT, he prompted technology to write a comprehensive congressional resolution in his own style and voice, expressing support for Congress to regulate AI. Out came a resolution that he didn’t even need to edit.
“AI already has reshaped the world in the same way that the steam engine reshaped society,” the California Democrat says over Congress’s August recess.
“But with the new advancements in AI, it’s going to become a supersonic jet engine in a few years, with a personality, and we need to be prepared for that.”
Meanwhile, Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Ranking Member of the U.S. House of Representatives on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, admitted AI does pose challenges.
But she added that AI such as language learning also provides tremendous opportunities.
“You could premise your Ph.D. on unfolding a single protein in the human body. What Google did using AI was unfold all of them and post them for every scientist in the world to examine. That is going to result in tremendous advancements in terms of medicines.”
She said the committee directed the National Institute of Science and Technology to take a look at guardrails for AI a few years ago.
“They went through a process that was very open and came up with some guidelines for AI that was risk-based. We need to do more but it’s a good starting point on how we regulate AI.
“I think that will be necessary. That necessity will not just be in the United States but international, obviously.”
She added nations should work together to make sure AI serves mankind instead of threatening it.
Lofgren added policymakers have yet to reach a consensus on AI regulation in the US.
“Some say we are to license AI. I think that’s impossible. Developers themselves don’t know all the elements they have developed. I do think, however, that registration requiring transparency to the maximum extent possible on what has been developed and taking responsibility for problems (on the part of developers) are going to be elements that we take a look at.
“When will that happen? I don’t know as you have probably noticed that we are in the middle of partisan fights that are, for the most part, totally stupid.
“But I do think many of us, on both sides of the Democrats and the Republicans, are very diligently trying to work responsibly on this issue.”
She said that humanity is at the doorstep of tremendous progress in science but there is also a need for regulations.
“They say, your cars can go fast because they have brakes.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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