Schumer to call for AI regulation in keynote address

Delivering his most expansive remarks on the topic since the recent explosion of generative AI tools in Silicon Valley, Schumer will call on lawmakers to advance legislation that “encourages, not stifles, innovation” while ensuring the technology is deployed “safely.”

“AI is unlike anything that we’ve dealt with before, and it may be exceedingly difficult for legislation to tackle every single issue,” Schumer will say at an event hosted by a D.C.-based think tank, according to prepared remarks. “But even if we can find some solutions and create a degree of consensus to deal with some of AI’s many challenges, we must pursue it.”

The comments arrive as policymakers across Washington race to develop a strategy to maximize the benefits of AI while containing its potential harms, which industry leaders and advocates have warned range from amplifying falsehoods to threatening human extinction.

The booming popularity of AI-driven chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard has both captivated and concerned officials, who have said they are worried about again failing to protect consumers from the perils of Silicon Valley’s latest craze. It’s prompted lawmakers to hold a wave of public hearings and private meetings with industry leaders, researchers and advocates as they look to get their bearings in the quickly changing AI field.

While federal lawmakers for years have hammered social media companies like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for purportedly undermining U.S. democracy and surveilling users with little discretion, Congress has been unable to pass any major regulations for the tech sector.

Schumer’s push represents one of the most significant efforts to craft new tech regulations led by congressional leadership, which has often deferred to committee chairs. His status as the highest-ranking Democratic lawmaker in Washington lends the effort added heft and could help lawmakers overcome political hurdles that have bogged down previous talks.

Schumer will urge his Senate colleagues to “cast aside ideological hang-ups and political self-interest,” and work on a bipartisan basis to develop “comprehensive” AI legislation, a lengthy process that the Senate leaders and his allies have said could take months to iron out.

Details about what legislation Schumer will pursue remain sparse. But he will lay out five principles on Wednesday to guide lawmakers on AI legislation — including security, accountability and explainability — that expand on a “high-level” framework he first teased in April.

In addition to discussing potential guardrails, Schumer is slated to question whether “federal intervention” is needed to “encourage innovation” in the space. The remarks signal that the Senate may consider new funding to boost research and innovation on AI.

Schumer will nod to concerns voiced by President Biden’s antitrust enforcers and former federal advisers that large tech companies could come to dominate AI, saying in his address that Congress must ensure that “innovation and competition is open to everyone, not just the few big powerful companies.”