Technology
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Technology
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State legislatures are taking the lead on artificial intelligence legislation, introducing more AI-related bills this year than the previous two years combined. |
States introduced a combined 191 AI-related bills this year, a 440 percent increase compared to the number introduced in 2022, according to an analysis from trade group BSA / The Software Alliance.
The trend of states taking action at a faster rate than the federal government follows a similar pattern as data privacy legislation, BSA’s vice president of government relations Craig Albright said. As the federal government remains without a national data privacy rule, states have passed various bills in recent years on the issue.
Zooming in on the AI bills: - While nearly 200 bills were introduced at the state level, only 29 passed at least one legislative chamber — and only 14 of those became law, according to the analysis.
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Nine states passed AI bills, spanning both Democratic and GOP: Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
- California, meanwhile, enacted legislation to
conduct a survey of the state’s use of high-risk AI.
What did the bills do?: Most related to specific aspects of AI.
The largest chunk of bills, 43, related to deepfakes. Another 14 related to AI in employment and four related to
generative AI. What it means: Albright said the flurry of 2023 activity is a sign that states won’t be waiting for Washington, D.C., to act.
Matthew Lenz, senior director of state advocacy at BSA, said he expects momentum to continue and 2024 will also be a busy AI year for states.
What we’re watching: On the federal level, some AI regulation proposals have emerged, including a bipartisan one from Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). Yet broadly, Congress is focused primarily on hearing from stakeholders.
After a closed-door discussion earlier this month between tech CEOs, civil society leaders and senators, no clear path emerged on how the chamber will proceed with regulation, according to conversations with those in the room.
More AI forums will be held going forward, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said. |
Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Rebecca Klar and Julia Shapero — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.
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How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: |
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OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, announced Wednesday that the artificial intelligence program can now search the internet on its own. “ChatGPT can now browse the internet to provide you with current and authoritative information, complete with direct links to sources,” OpenAI wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “It is no longer limited to data before September 2021.” “Since the original launch … |
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| As the fight to understand and regulate artificial intelligence (AI) heats up, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairperson Lina Khan said Wednesday that while she appreciates Congress’s contributions to date, her agency will need further support to keep up with technological advances and properly protect American consumers. “We’ve been grateful to Congress for increasing our budget so we’re able to do a lot more … |
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The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency against eBay, which it accuses of selling harmful products, according to a press release. “The Justice Department filed a complaint against eBay Inc. today for unlawfully selling and distributing hundreds of thousands of products in violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA); the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) … |
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The accounts of several Russian, Chinese and Iranian state media outlets saw a 70 percent increase in engagement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after it removed labels identifying them as “state-affiliated,” according to a new report released Tuesday. The recent analysis from NewsGuard, which analyzes media trends and disinformation, found that 12 state media accounts from the three countries saw the number of … |
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News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics: |
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Meta unveils new Ray-Ban smart glasses |
Meta unveiled its new Ray-Ban smart glasses on Monday, featuring upgraded cameras and livestreaming capabilities, The Verge reported. |
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Public figures’ contacts exposed by TikTok |
Contacts for celebrities and politicians were able to be searched by TikTok and ByteDance employees through a social mapping tool used by the company, Forbes reported. |
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Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching: |
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Mira Murati, the chief technology officer for OpenAI, will speak at The Atlantic festival in a conversation with Atlantic staff writer Tim Alberta on Friday at 9:30 a.m. ET.
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Branch out with other reads on The Hill: |
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Senator sees ‘realistic path forward’ on AI |
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) talks to The Hill’s Elizabeth Crisp about AI and efforts to take action in Congress.
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MENLO PARK, California (AP) — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off the tech giant’s Connect developer conference on Wednesday with a focus on virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence The company, which renamed itself Meta two years ago, unveiled the next version of its virtual reality … |
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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Republicans hope to convince the public and even some of their colleagues that an impeachment inquiry into President Biden holds merit at their first … Read more |
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Steven Rattner, the head of former President Obama’s auto industry task force, called President Biden’s visit to Michigan and a United Auto Workers … Read more |
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Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill: |
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You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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