Ed Markey Slams GOP For Including 10-Year-Long Moratorium On State And Local AI Regulation In Budget

Forbes Breaking News

During remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) spoke about artificial intelligence regulation.

Transcript

00:00Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the critical need for regulation of artificial intelligence.

00:18This work period, the Senate is poised to take up the House's reconciliation package,

00:24a disastrous proposal that strips health care away from tens of millions of Americans

00:31and dismantles our country's clean energy revolution, all to deliver tax cuts to billionaires.

00:39But buried nearly 300 pages into this bill is something quite shocking.

00:47A blanket, 10-year ban on state and local governments from regulating artificial intelligence.

00:57That's right.

00:58Rather than proposing any plan to address the risk of this powerful and fast-evolving technology,

01:07my Republican colleagues have chosen to block the states, to block local governments from acting.

01:18They don't want to do anything, but they want to block anyone else from acting as well.

01:24They would tie the hands of governors, tie the hands of state legislators,

01:31who are stepping up to protect their constituents from the unchecked harms of AI without any plan of their own

01:40to regulate these technologies here in Congress.

01:43In fact, just this morning, 260 state lawmakers, half Republicans and half Democrats,

01:52from all 50 states, sent a letter to Congress opposing any provision which can block them from acting to protect their citizens.

02:07And just a few weeks ago, 40 state attorneys general sent a similar letter to congressional leaders

02:13urging Congress to reject the 10-year moratorium.

02:18These state leaders are right.

02:20These state leaders are right.

02:50One expert warned that the language is so sweeping that it could undermine contract law

03:01and break the Internet itself.

03:05So let me be clear.

03:06This is a recipe to repeat the failures from the last decade.

03:13Failures driven by our failure to hold big tech accountable for its abuses.

03:19So how has that worked out for us?

03:22Well, today, thanks to our failure to regulate big tech, we have a privacy crisis,

03:29a youth mental health crisis, a teenage mental health crisis in our country

03:37that the Surgeon General of the United States points the finger at social media

03:45as a major part of the problem that we have with teenage and youth mental health issues in our country.

03:55So thankfully, in the face of federal inaction, states have led.

04:02States have stood up.

04:04They've moved to protect young people online, secure consumer privacy,

04:09and confront algorithmic bias.

04:12But this provision that's stuck in this bill that we're going to consider over the next month,

04:20this provision stuck in the bill would erase that progress.

04:26It would roll back years of hard-won protections and prevent future action just when it's needed the most,

04:35just when it's becoming very clear to the entire country that there is a sinister side to cyberspace

04:46as well as a good side.

04:50Yes, we want it to do wonderful things in our society,

04:54but we also know that it can cause great harm as well.

04:59So instead of shutting down state leadership, instead of shutting down state legislatures,

05:07shutting down governors across the nation who want to work on this issue,

05:12Congress itself should step up to start to put the protections in place for our entire nation.

05:19We must pass legislation that confronts the real harms of artificial intelligence

05:25while ensuring that the United States remains the leader on this important and promising technology.

05:32We want to reap the benefits of AI.

05:37We want to have AI be used across our society.

05:42But we also want to protect against the harmful effects of AI

05:49if it's put in the wrong hands to be used for the wrong purposes.

05:55And that is why I authored the AI Civil Rights Act,

06:00the most comprehensive AI legislation introduced in the United States Congress

06:07that ensures that artificial intelligence serves the public good,

06:12not private profit exclusively.

06:15The bill would ensure that the AI age does not supercharge

06:19the bias and discrimination already prevalent today.

06:25And specifically, my legislation establishes new rules

06:28when companies use algorithms to make decisions on jobs,

06:33on housing, on health care, on banking,

06:37the criminal justice system, and other important aspects of our lives.

06:43The AI Civil Rights Act is a balanced approach

06:46that requires companies to detect and address bias

06:50in their algorithmic decisions without stifling innovation.

06:55So make no mistake, we can have an AI revolution

06:59while also protecting the civil rights and liberties of everyday Americans.

07:04We can support innovation without supercharging

07:07the tracking and targeting of young people online.

07:11We can promote competition while safeguarding our environment.

07:16But with their blanket 10-year ban on state AI regulation,

07:21Republicans are choosing a sledgehammer over a scalpel.

07:26They are choosing big tech over kids, families, seniors,

07:31and disadvantaged communities across this country.

07:34We cannot allow this to happen.

07:36I am committed to fighting this 10-year ban with every tool at my disposal.

07:42And that stands by ensuring that it is going to be clear

07:48that this 10-year ban on state AI regulation

07:53is a policy change that has no impact on the federal budget.

08:00What does that mean if this provision that's been stuck in this bill

08:06has no impact on the federal budget?

08:10Here's what it means.

08:11It means that that provision cannot be included in a reconciliation bill.

08:16If Senate Republicans keep the House language in their reconciliation bill,

08:21I will raise a point of order against it.

08:25I will raise a point of order saying that it is in violation of our rules

08:33that this kind of a change can be built into this legislation.

08:38When my Republican colleagues are ready to have a serious conversation about AI regulation,

08:44my door is wide open.

08:46We should be discussing this on a bipartisan basis.

08:49But this backdoor AI moratorium, it's not serious.

08:57This backdoor moratorium is not responsible.

09:00This backdoor moratorium is not acceptable.

09:05There's too much at stake.

09:07We can't say for 10 years there is no regulation at the state level

09:12if they can see harms that are being committed.

09:16They must have the right to be able to legislate.

09:18And there's one way for us to avoid it, of course.

09:22We could legislate.

09:23We could pass national legislation.

09:26But at this point, I still see no appetite on the Republican side

09:30for that to even commence as a serious discussion.

09:35So with that, I just want to put the Senate on notice

09:39that I am going to raise a point of order

09:42if, in fact, this AI moratorium on any state legislation remains in the bill.

09:50And so with that, Mr. President, I yield back,

09:54and I doubt the presence of a quorum.

Category

Transcript

Recommended