The vice chair of Congress's artificial intelligence caucus says privacy regulation needs to be a top short-term priority for Congress as Washington seeks to address rapidly emerging technologies, which will reduce risk. However, he says it could be a catalyst for the next threat. Expansion of the US economy.
Rep. Jay Obanolte (R-Calif.) said in an interview on Fox News Digital that he is optimistic about the potential of artificial intelligence, but that Congress must ensure that Americans are protected from the potential downside and disruption that artificial intelligence could bring. He said it was necessary. bring.
“In the short term, AI can be used to break through the privacy of digital data and re-aggregate otherwise fragmented data to create behavioral models that can be used to influence behavior. “That's very concerning, that's very concerning, and it's definitely something that the government needs to play a role in mitigating,” Obernolte said.
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Congressman Jay Obanolte has a graduate degree in artificial intelligence. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
He warned that there is currently a patchwork of privacy regulations across the United States.
“Currently, the federal government does little to regulate digital data privacy, leaving it entirely up to the states. Some states, like California, have very comprehensive data regulations; Some states have no regulations at all,'' he said.
More broadly, he said Congress' role includes putting guardrails in place for states to address the issue. He also stressed that Congress needs to work to prevent the formation of monopolies on this issue, saying lawmakers need to create a pool of resources available to academic institutions for AI research and development. However, he says that is not currently happening.
“Cutting-edge research is being done behind closed doors by corporations,” he warned.
Mr. Obernolte and other members of his caucus. Create AI lawThis establishes the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource, a national shared research infrastructure available to researchers and students.
It's an issue close to Obernolte's heart.
Obernolte, a former computer engineer and video game developer, also has a graduate degree in AI, making him a rare expert on the subject among members of Congress. He said he understands the concerns some share about the technology, warning that Congress cannot simply “regulate for regulation's sake” and avoid too strong a response from Washington, D.C. warned.
He said the United States should not follow the approach taken by the European Union, saying AI should be considered something entirely new and an entirely new agency would need to regulate it. Instead, he believes existing institutions should be given the resources to regulate AI within their own fields.
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He also emphasized that while the threat from AI is real, it is not the threat often portrayed in science fiction movies, and instead focuses on privacy, monopoly, and malicious actors using AI to spread misinformation and disinformation. He raised concerns about the potential for spread.
“AI is not going to lead an army of evil robots rising to conquer the world,” he said. “But if we're not careful, it can have very negative consequences for society. So we have to focus on these points when developing regulations around it. ”
Ultimately, though, he believes AI could bring significant benefits to the United States.
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“I'm an AI optimist, but AI definitely comes with some risks. There's no doubt that AI will bring about a lot of disruption. “Every new technology in has been disruptive, but I think if we manage the disruption properly, AI can be very beneficial,” he said.
“Consider the fact that throughout U.S. history, every major economic expansion has been led by increases in the productivity of U.S. workers. Yet over the past six years, productivity has steadily declined. AI has the potential to reverse that and become the catalyst for the next great expansion not just in the economy but in America's prosperity. So those are the positives. That's why we need to act carefully and appropriately at all times. We devise regulations around that.”
