What to know about the last Senate AI forums of this year
Rounds, Schumer and Young on Nov. 8. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Lawmakers leading the year's final AI insight forums said they'll be applying what they've learned to legislation soon, with committees holding hearings on potential bills.
Driving the news: Senators heard from groups of experts on both "doomsday scenarios" for AI and national security issues Wednesday on Capitol Hill.
- Sens. Chuck Schumer, Todd Young, Martin Heinrich and Mike Rounds told reporters after how much they learned from experts and how important it is for Congress to take action on AI, balancing embracing American innovation with safety, as per usual.
- Rounds said the group is eyeing "five or six" bills, but declined to name specific ones.
- Rounds: "If we start claiming pride of ownership up front now, it's gonna be a lot more difficult to get our committees to actually accept and to work on them."
- "I would love to share my ideas with committees, and then I'd like to see it grow and flourish."
- "And so let's forget about the pride of ownership. Let's get it to the committees and then afterwards we can grin and say we had a part in that."
Yes, but: Specifics on what lawmakers plan to do to actually lay down guardrails for AI remain vague, as Congress balances dozens of other priorities and partisan disagreements hold up major spending packages.
What they're saying: "This is so broad and so comprehensive, that I think we don't expect we'll be able to legislate in every single area. But that's not going to hold us back when committees come up with good ideas in the area," Schumer said, adding that work had begun on legislation.
- Schumer also said some participants he expected to be more concerned about AI's catastrophic risks were less alarmed than he expected.
The intrigue: Per sources in the room, Schumer kicked off today's first forum asking all participating what their "'p(doom)" (probability of artificial general intelligence being disastrous for humanity) number is.
- "It was kind of surreal," one participant who asked not to be named told Axios, adding that answers were all over the place or people declined to say.
- Schumer confirmed to Axios the topic was raised, but declined to provide his own pdoom.
Schumer walked out after the afternoon national security forum wrapped saying there's agreement more investment in defense-related AI is necessary.
- "In order to maintain U.S. leadership in AI, we must provide robust investments to grow the defense AI industry, including more funding for research, development, and procurement of AI technologies."
- Palantir CEO Alex Karp told Axios he thinks funding for defense AI needs to be boosted "dramatically" and account for one percent of the Pentagon's budget.
What we're watching: Congress is expected to release the National Defense Authorization Act text tonight, which is likely to include some AI provisions.
- Rounds: "It's not going to be enough. But what we'll have to do every single year is begin with AI as part of the focus."
Meanwhile, the EU is expected to finalize its AI Act in the coming hours.
- Rounds said he's not concerned about falling behind in regulating the technology.
- "We're gonna learn what the EU has done and the EU, as they step in, if they look at this as a regulatory activity, they will chase AI development to the United States. But what we don't want to do is to chase AI development to our adversaries."
