Congress Continues to Get up to Speed on Artificial Intelligence

Attendees take pictures and interact with the Engineered Arts Ameca humanoid robot with artificial intelligence as it is demonstrated during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 5, 2022. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Members of Congress may be late to the table in learning about artificial intelligence (AI), but the lawmakers are committed to playing catchup.

The legislators are learning and thinking about AI, its present and future benefits, and its negative influences. They are figuring out what role Uncle Sam may play in developing and using the technology and phenomenon.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), 72, has returned to school as a part-time student at George Mason University to educate himself about AI and keep pace with developments in computer technology.

“I’m pursuing a graduate degree in computer science with emphasis on machine learning, and according to George Mason University, that’s the closest to quote unquote artificial intelligence,” Beyer told WTOP News.

Beyer is a member of the Congressional AI Caucus, which has about 40 members, but he believes that number could rise to 100 this summer.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), the Vice Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, attends a hearing with the House Rules Committee at the U.S. Capitol Building on Aug. 10, 2022 in Washington. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

AI developers and business users are cautiously and attentively viewing the political and legislator activity in Washington, D.C.

And businesses are using their lobbying and advocacy power on Capitol Hill to ward off excessive government intrusion and regulation, even as they acknowledge that not only will Congress have a say and role in the rollout of AI but that its measured and limited involvement may actually be desirable and render benefits for the high tech industry and public.

In fact, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has historically and energetically pushed, on behalf of business, less regulation and less government involvement, is calling for Congress to be a significant player in the rollout and implementation of AI.

In a report released last month by the Chamber’s Commission on Artificial Intelligence Competitiveness, Inclusion, and Innovation, among the top priorities listed was that “Policies to promote responsible AI must be a top priority for this and future administrations and Congress.”

Congress Starts to Exert Influence

Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) is a member of the lower chamber of Congress who knows a lot about AI and has been keeping pace with its deployment. Obernolte—who owns a videogame company that develops bestselling and award-winning products—holds a master’s degree in AI from UCLA and a bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Applied Science from California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and a doctorate in Public Administration from California Baptist University.

Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.). Office of Rep. Jay Obernolte

Almost two years ago, in June 2021, when the GOP was the minority party in the House, Obernolte introduced the Fellowships and Traineeships for Early-Career AI Researchers Act, which directed the “National Science Foundation (NSF) to award grants and fellowships to support students and researchers in fields related to artificial intelligence.”

In a press release issued on June 16, 2021, announcing that the bill had passed the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Obernolte said: “Computer science will be critical to the future of jobs in our country as well as an important facet of our national security, especially as our nation faces a wave of cyberattacks by foreign actors.

“The United States lags other countries such as China in producing highly-skilled computer science professionals. We must do more as a nation to actively strengthen our computer science workforce to ensure the future of our economy, the strength of our technology workforce, and the security of our nation.”

Last month, Obernolte and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) introduced the Artificial Intelligence for National Security Act to enlist AI to secure better and safeguard the nation’s defense and security computer systems.

Continuing Education

There is a market for teaching government employees, including those working on politicians’ staff, about AI.

One of the world’s leading institutions of higher learning, Stanford University, recognizes that Congress is hungry for knowledge about and to familiarize itself with AI. In response, the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence is holding, from Aug. 7-9, the Congressional Boot Camp on Artificial Intelligence, an AI learning session for U.S. House and Senate staff.