As the internet becomes overrun with AI slop and public trust in artificial intelligence plummets, a bipartisan group of senators want to enlist the Commerce Department in an education operation about the emerging technology.
The Artificial Intelligence Public Awareness and Education Campaign Act would require the Commerce secretary to oversee an initiative to provide Americans with information about the benefits of AI in their daily lives, as well as the risks the technology presents.
“With the rapid increase of AI in our society, it is important that individuals can both clearly recognize the technology and understand how to maximize the use of it in their daily lives,” Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., a co-sponsor of the bill, said in a statement. “The Artificial Intelligence Public Awareness and Education Campaign Act is an important step in ensuring all Americans can benefit from the opportunities created by AI.”
The campaign would detail the ubiquity of AI in everyday life and highlight its benefits, including for small business owners and in workforce opportunities with the federal government. It would also note the different ways in which various regions, economies and subpopulations may interact with the technology, while making clear “the rights of an individual under law with respect” to AI.
“America has the opportunity to embrace artificial intelligence and all of the benefits it can bring to numerous industries — health care, business and national security to name a few,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., another co-sponsor, said in a statement. “Consumer literacy and education is a critical piece of keeping the United States ahead of the curve on artificial intelligence development and adoption.”
Another co-sponsor, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said the legislation is “essential” for helping the public understand the risks and benefits associated with AI. The lawmakers call for the campaign to include best practices for “detecting and differentiating AI-generated media,” including deepfakes and content produced by chatbots.
“Our bill will direct the Commerce Department to educate the public about how best to take advantage of these tools while staying vigilant to AI-enabled scams and fraud,” Schatz said in a statement.
On AI, House GOP wants more money for Congress, less say for states
The introduction of the legislation last week came days before House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans unveiled a reconciliation bill Sunday night that would provide the Commerce Department with $500 million for an artificial intelligence and information technology modernization initiative.
Those funds, per the bill, would be available to Commerce until Sept. 30, 2035, to “modernize and secure Federal information technology systems through the deployment of commercial artificial intelligence, the deployment of automation technologies, and the replacement of antiquated systems.”
Also included in Republicans’ proposal is a provision that would ban state laws or other regulations on AI models, systems or related automated systems. Grace Gedye, policy analyst for AI issues at Consumer Reports, said in a statement that Congress has “long abdicated” its responsibilities on AI regulation, and barring states from “taking actions to protect their residents” is not the answer.
“This incredibly broad preemption would prevent states from taking action to deal with all sorts of harms,” Gedye said, “from non-consensual intimate AI images, audio, and video, to AI-driven threats to critical infrastructure or market manipulation, to protecting AI whistleblowers, to assessing high-risk AI decision-making systems for bias or other errors, to simply requiring AI chatbots to disclose that they aren’t human.”
AI regulations have been passed into law in several states over the past decade, sparking criticism from major AI companies for what they say is a patchwork system that stifles innovation. Americans for Responsible Innovation President Brad Carson said in a statement that “tying the hands” of state lawmakers on AI could have “catastrophic consequences” for the public and small businesses.
“Lawmakers stalled on social media safeguards for a decade and we are still dealing with the fallout. Now apply those same harms to technology moving as fast as AI,” Carson said. “Without first passing significant federal rules for AI, banning state lawmakers from taking action just doesn’t make sense. Ultimately, the move to ban AI safeguards is a giveaway to Big Tech that will come back to bite us.”
Written by Matt Bracken
Matt Bracken is the managing editor of FedScoop and CyberScoop, overseeing coverage of federal government technology policy and cybersecurity.
Before joining Scoop News Group in 2023, Matt was a senior editor at Morning Consult, leading data-driven coverage of tech, finance, health and energy. He previously worked in various editorial roles at The Baltimore Sun and the Arizona Daily Star.
You can reach him at matt.bracken@scoopnewsgroup.com.
