Georgia lawmakers want to hold deepfake AI developers accountable
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Georgia lawmakers are pondering a future in which AI bots must disclose their non-human status and deepfakes that sow confusion come with severe criminal penalties.
Why it matters: The Georgia Senate Study Committee on Artificial Intelligence's report, released Tuesday, offers glimpses into lawmakers' views on the tech and how much (or little) they plan to regulate the coming wave of bots.
Context: For the past seven months, the committee has heard testimony from academics, business leaders and policy experts about AI's effect on industries such as agriculture, entertainment, government and transparency.
The big picture: The study committee stops short of proposing specific legislation, but generally recommends that future laws would "support AI regulation without stifling innovation."
- Perhaps most important: the heady task of legally defining AI, adopting a statewide data privacy law and updating Georgia's deepfake law "to include election interference, transparency and labeling."
Zoom in: Many of the committee's suggestions center on state and local governments adopting AI responsibly, and aspirations about partnering with groups and fostering innovation.
- Some proposed policies stand out, however. One requires AI programs to be held to the same liability standards as physical products.
- Developers of AI products that use deepfakes to advertise, influence or spread disinformation should be held accountable, the report says.
Yes, and: Other recommendations call for increasing small Georgia farms' access to AI to boost crop production and incentivizing "Georgia-based entertainment projects" that incorporate the tech.
What they're saying: "I know there are some people that are afraid of [AI] and they want to not do anything," state Sen. John Albers (R-Johns Creek), the committee's chair, said Tuesday.
- "That's not the reality. We are going to have to embrace artificial intelligence. Doing it the right way will be our task."
What's next: The Georgia General Assembly convenes in January. Albers wants to create a standing study committee to keep up with the fast-evolving technology.