Rep. Sara Jacobs Secures Key Wins in Bipartisan AI Task Force Report
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) secured key wins in the Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (AI)’s final report, which was released today. She secured many principles and recommendations on issues including strengthening the capacity of sectoral agencies, privacy and data protection, bias, global AI governance, transparency, robust oversight of kinetic weapons systems, and equitable access.
At a press conference earlier today, Rep. Sara Jacobs said:
“As one of the youngest Members of Congress, one of the reasons I actually ran for Congress in the first place was because I felt like there were so many new challenges like emerging technology that Congress just wasn’t keeping up with. Technologies like AI have so much potential – to solve big challenges like poverty and health care access – but there are also big risks. And it’s up to us, in Congress, to make sure we set the rules of the road that help encourage the former and protect against the latter.
“This is our opportunity to strike the right balance that encourages innovation and American leadership, while also creating guardrails that protect our rights and safety.
“That’s why I’m so proud of this report and in particular, some of these key things: As Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, I know the importance of distributing the benefits of AI equitably on a global scale and ensuring that no community is overlooked, forgotten, or exploited by this technology. To do that, we need to include civil society organizations and governments from the Global South in a global AI governance system and that’s why I was pleased this report continues to encourage U.S. engagement in international standards development and further international collaboration.
“I’m also glad that this report includes a recommendation to empower sectoral regulators with the tools and expertise to address AI-related risks – which mirrors legislation that I’ve been working on for the past two years and will be introducing in the next term to ensure federal agencies have what they need to oversee AI systems, protect civil rights and public safety, and enforce existing federal law.
“AI and autonomous systems also have major implications for the future of the battlefield – some of which can help save our service members’ time and lives and others which can be incredibly dangerous. That’s why I’m proud that our bipartisan report recommends Congress to support DOD’s policy requiring meaningful human control over the launch of nuclear weapons. This provision complements language that I championed in this year’s NDAA.
“I hope that this report serves as a starting point for all of us – because we have a long way to go to harness the full potential and opportunities of AI, while also setting the rules of the road to minimize potential harm.
“And I hope that this report also shows that despite what this past election might lead us to believe, we can find common ground and bipartisan agreement – even and maybe especially on big, complicated, and rapidly evolving priorities like AI.”
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