Driving US Innovation in Artificial Intelligence

Early in the 118th Congress, we were brought together by a shared recognition of the profound changes artificial intelligence (AI) could bring to our world: AI’s capacity to revolutionize the realms of science, medicine, agriculture, and beyond; the exceptional benefits that a flourishing AI ecosystem could offer our economy and our productivity; and AI’s ability to radically alter human capacity and knowledge. At the same time, we each recognized the potential risks AI could present, including altering our workforce in the short-term and long-term, raising questions about the application of existing laws in an AI-enabled world, changing the dynamics of our national security, and raising the threat of potential doomsday scenarios. This led to the formation of our Bipartisan Senate AI Working Group (“AI Working Group”). From the outset, the AI Working Group’s objective has been to complement the traditional congressional committee-driven policy process, considering that this broad technology does not neatly fall into the jurisdiction of any single committee. We resolved to bring leading experts into a unique dialogue with the Senate on some of the most profound policy questions AI presents. In doing so, we aimed to help lay the foundation for a better understanding in the Senate of the policy choices and implications around AI. Our efforts began with three educational briefings on AI for senators in the summer of 2023, culminating in the first ever all-senators classified briefing focused solely on AI. These sessions made clear there is broad bipartisan interest in AI and emphasized the need for further policy discussions, acknowledging the complexity of the subject and the importance of well-informed deliberations. To address more specific policy domains, the AI Working Group then hosted nine bipartisan AI Insight Forums in the fall of 2023.