Attending the Roundtable on U.S. AI Policy & Regulation on Sep. 8th in Washington, D.C.

On Friday, September 8th, All Tech Is Human Executive Director Rebekah Tweed had the pleasure of attending a Roundtable on U.S. AI Policy & Regulation in Washington, D.C., hosted by Center for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Policy, Encode Justice, and The Future Society.

AI Policy is at an inflection point in the United States. The roundtable convened only a few hours after Sens. Blumenthal and Hawley announced plans for a bipartisan U.S. AI Act, which was discussed in some detail.

Other congressional initiatives were discussed as well, primarily Sen. Schumer’s SAFE Innovation Act. The co-hosts for the roundtable each gave remarks on meeting with and advising President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, focusing on the executive branch and potential action out of the Office of the White House, which will provide guidance for the use of artificial intelligence by the federal government.

There was also a rundown of AI legislative initiatives under discussion in the United States, including from Sen. Peters on the federal government’s use of AI, the Algorithmic Accountability Act from Sens. Wyden and Booker, and Rep. Clark, as well as Rep. Liu’s AI Commission Act, among others.

The hosts gave an overview of the FTC investigation of OpenAI and an update on happenings with the National AI Advisory Committee (NAIAC), followed by a rundown of international developments, including the UN Security Council, Council of Europe AI treaty, and EU AI Act trilogue.

It was a fantastic discussion involving a diverse range of civil society and government stakeholders, and demonstrated what an exciting time it is, as the governance of artificial intelligence increases in inertia across the United States federal government!