Austin Jenkins’ Post

What does it mean if Trump revokes Biden #AI Executive Order? Rumors are that Trump could revoke the Biden AI Executive Order building on earlier orders and policies including some issued during first Trump administration. Meanwhile, there is bipartisan support for federal legislation regulating some aspects of AI that could move forward as early as the current lame duck session. Even without adoption of new federal law and a rollback of work done during Biden's term, both tech companies - and companies in all other industries and professions using AI-driven software in analytics, operations, customer service and sales and marketing - could face an even more complicated - rather than simplifed- #regulatory environment. There has been a flury of activity at the state level including a series of bills adopted in CA and elsewhere this past session. Further, implementation of regulation of AI in other jurisdictions , including the AI Act in the EU, and crystalization of global AI governance best practices and technical standards, cannot br ignored. For more insights on potential impacts of a repeal of Biden's order, read this NextGov post

It's always exciting to witness bi-partisan collaboration in Congress. Recently, the introduction of the Federal AI Governance and Transparency Act is a prime example of this. While the bill focuses on federal government resources, it will be fascinating to see how states will incorporate best practices, especially concerning responsible AI use. Let's hope this bill passes and sets a precedent for responsible AI governance. #teamworkmakesthedreamwork #aigovernance #breezeml Check out the details of the bill here: https://lnkd.in/d2Q3KaS9

Another day, another #AI bill. This week it is Senators Warner and Blackburn who have introduced their, ‘‘Promoting United States Leadership in Standards Act of 2024.’’ And it’s actually not a bad bill! But as I’ve noted before, we appear to be well on our way to witnessing every member of Congress introducing their own #artificialintelligence legislative proposal. I’ve never seen anything like this sort of volume of personalized legislating in the field of tech policy. Everyone is screaming to be heard and waving around their own approach to AI governance. Apparently lawmakers have brought the same skill they have for introducing bills to rename post offices to the field of AI policy. Except the difference is that the post office bills actually pass! The confusing and contentious cacophony of “HEY, LOOK AT MY BILL!” AI legislating will mean even less of a chance that any actual artificial intelligence legislation gets done. I’d say current odds of any major AI bill passing this session are now under 1%, and not just because it is an election year. I would not necessarily have a big problem with the lack of congressional action except that this leaves the White House and federal administrative agencies free to continue to do whatever they want on AI policy without any explicit statutory grant of authority to do most of it. And as President Biden’s recent AI executive order shows, this administration will take full advantage of that legislative vacuum. Meanwhile, state and local governments continue to introduce an avalanche of AI-related proposals to regulate what is clearly a national set of technologies, and many of those parochial measures are now getting passed. This raises the specter of a patchwork of hundreds of different AI compliance policies and mounds of red tape that will suffocate algorithmic entrepreneurialism and investment. In a better world, Congress wouldn’t be such a dysfunctional mess and lawmakers would act to constrain both the powers of administrative agencies as well as state and local governments who are looking to over-regulate this important set of computational technologies, which have global significance to the United States, its national competitiveness, and our geopolitical security. But that will almost certainly not happen for all the reasons I have laid out in my recent essays on the increasingly absurd world of AI policymaking in Congress, which is mostly about performative politics and personal ego-stroking. We are witnessing a complete reversal of the winning policy formula that gave us the Internet and the Digital Revolution. This could be an unmitigated disaster for America as our nation faces stiff competition on advanced computation from China and other countries. https://lnkd.in/eQYAgfan

Bleak, albeit unsurprising, "news" on AI regulation in the United States. Nothing like an election year "task force" to inspire optimism. The how-do-you-really-feel view from TechCrunch: "Everyone involved with this will point to it when asked why they haven’t acted on AI, which many voters fear is coming for their jobs or automating processes that once had a purposeful human touch. 'But we started this task force!' Yes, and the EU has had their task force working on this subject since the pandemic days. The announcement of the task force kept expectations low, with no timeline or deliverables that voters or watchdogs can hold them to. Even the report is something they will only 'seek' to produce! Furthermore, considering the expert agencies are at risk of declawing via Supreme Court decision, it is hard to even imagine what a regulatory structure would look like a year from now. Want the FTC, FCC, SEC, EPA or anyone else to help out? They may be judicially restrained from doing so come 2025." #AI #airegulation #not

Voters in the US have decided: Donald Trump will return to the White House in January. The change of administration has created some question marks around what could come next for any nascent regulatory regime around generative AI in Washington. - IT Brew https://lnkd.in/giiEFcy2 #technews #ai #ainews #airegulation #politics #tech #it #itnews #business #businessnews #politicalnews

According to the Senate’s roadmap guiding future legislation governing the application of AI in our society, it’s clear that they are focused on promoting and investing in innovation in the AI space, which is probably a good thing. It’s not clear to what extent they believe the federal government should work to prevent the harms that may come from this transformative technology—especially to marginalized and disadvantaged groups—and how tech companies will be held accountable if that happens. Check out the article for more. #AI #AIgovernance #AIpolicy #CenterForHumaneTechnology

Is the AI leash on federal agencies too long?: That new White House guidance on agency use of artificial intelligence embodies guardrails, but also a few opt-out scenarios. The post Is the AI leash on federal agencies too long? first appeared on Federal News Network. #FederalNewsRadio #Contracting

The U.S. House of Representatives is establishing a bipartisan AI task force due to stalled efforts in Congress to legislate on AI concerns. 🔨This task force aims to produce a comprehensive report, considering necessary guardrails to protect against both current and emerging threats. 🔨The initiative reflects heightened attention on AI's potential impacts, including job displacement, election interference, and other societal risks. 🔨This move follows instances of AI misuse, such as a fake robocall imitating President Biden. The task force will consult with various committees, offering forward-looking recommendations and policy proposals. #ai #artificialintelligence #airegulations https://lnkd.in/eKbiV7jU

Is the AI leash on federal agencies too long?: That new White House guidance on agency use of artificial intelligence embodies guardrails, but also a few opt-out scenarios. The post Is the AI leash on federal agencies too long? first appeared on Federal News Network. @Poseidon-US #FederalNewsRadio #Contracting

MUST READ: CDT Matt Scherer pens new blog unpacking Colorado's new AI legislation, highlighting the areas where it needs to be strengthened, and pushing back against hollow and misleading arguments suggesting that the bill is somehow too burdensome or complex for businesses. The Colorado #AI Act requires companies to: 1. Disclose when using AI to make high-stakes decisions that impact people's lives 2. Conduct basic due diligence before marketing/using AI systems to assess risks of bias & discrimination 3. Give people basic info if rejected by an AI system Crucially, the law does NOT change civil rights laws prohibiting discriminatory impacts, contrary to Gov. Polis' misunderstanding. It simply requires companies to do due diligence to comply with laws they should already be following to prevent algorithmic discrimination. Industry claims that the law is too burdensome are overblown. It imposes modest obligations, exempts small businesses, and doesn't require disclosure of trade secrets or source code. The transparency it mandates is essential for AI accountability and civil rights enforcement. The Colorado AI Act is a good start, but must be strengthened before it takes effect in 2026. Policymakers should close loopholes, expand accessibility provisions, and work with advocates to ensure the law truly protects consumers and workers from unaccountable AI systems. https://lnkd.in/egfi9pWP