Following Historic AI Insight Forums Over The Past Year, Young, Schumer, Rounds, & Heinrich Reveal Bipartisan Roadmap For Artificial Intelligence Policy In The United States Senate

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The Bipartisan Senate AI Working Group comprised of Senator Todd Young (R-IN), Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) today released a roadmap for artificial intelligence policy in the United States Senate. A one-pager detailing the roadmap can be found here. The AI roadmap can be found here.

Today, after months of discussion, hundreds of stakeholder meetings, and nine first-of-their-kind, all-Senator AI Insight Forums, the Bipartisan Senate AI Working Group comprised of Senator Todd Young (R-IN), Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) released an AI policy roadmap that summarizes their findings and lays out policy topics that the group believes merit bipartisan committee consideration in the 118th Congress and beyond. 

“The rapid pace of AI innovation brought this bipartisan working group together to consider how policymakers can ensure the incredible and promising aspects of AI are able to flourish while guarding against its risks,” said Senator Young. “This roadmap represents the most comprehensive and impactful bipartisan recommendations on artificial intelligence ever issued by the legislative branch. Our goal is to ensure the United States maintains its leadership in AI innovation, enabling the American people to reap the substantial national security, economic, and societal benefits of an AI-driven future.”

“No technology offers more promise to our modern world than artificial intelligence. But AI also presents a host of new policy challenges. Harnessing the potential of AI demands an all-hands-on-deck approach and that’s exactly what our bipartisan AI working group has been leading,” said Leader Schumer. “After talking to advocates, critics, academics, labor groups, civil rights leaders, stakeholders, developers, and more, our working group was able to identify key areas of policy that have bipartisan consensus. Now, the work continues with our Committees, Chairmen, and Ranking Members to develop and advance legislation with urgency and humility.”

“Artificial intelligence is already changing our world as we know it,” said Senator Rounds. “After hosting nine AI Insight Forums to educate ourselves and our colleagues, we have created a first-of-its-kind AI roadmap highlighting specific topics we believe Congress should address. This roadmap to the future of AI sets the stage as we seek to harness its power to bring greater prosperity to the American people while also mitigating potential long-term risks. I look forward to seeing how my colleagues use their policy expertise in each committee to address these issues through regular order. We have a real opportunity to shape its future, and we need to embrace this challenge with open arms.”  

“In the midst of rapid AI advancements, the Senate can lead or be led. We plan to lead, to deliver for the American people, helping ensure that AI comes as a benefit to society, not a threat,” said Senator Heinrich. “This roadmap positions us to unlock AI innovation that will deliver major scientific and medical advancements and help maintain our global leadership. Most importantly, the roadmap lays out the guardrails necessary to mitigate the risks of AI — from blocking corporations from trying to use American’s data against them, to safeguarding the work of creative professionals and protecting workers’ jobs by preventing the automation of tasks that only should be done by humans. Now it’s time for the Senate to act on these recommendations.” 

This AI policy roadmap summarizes the findings of the bipartisan working group and highlights policy topics that the group believes merit bipartisan consideration in the Senate in the 118th Congress and beyond. Ultimately, it is the hope of this group that this roadmap helps to inform consideration of bipartisan AI legislation that maintains U.S. leadership on innovation, promotes safety and accountability in AI, and ensures all Americans benefit from the opportunities created by AI. 

A one-pager detailing the roadmap can be found here. 

The AI policy roadmap for the 118th Congress can be found here.