Lieu criticizes GOP colleagues for strategy on AI

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Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) on Wednesday expressed concern about the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence.

“I am still freaked out by AI, and it’s actually accelerated much more quickly than I thought possible,” the fourth-ranking House Democrat told The Hill’s Miranda Nazzaro at the second-annual Hill Nation Summit.

Lieu said Congress should consider how to balance imposing “guardrails” on AI against promoting “innovation” in the industry amid the race against China. He also chastised his GOP colleagues for not prioritizing the guardrails.

“I cannot name a single law passed this term by House Republican leadership that has any guardrails on AI,” the California Democrat remarked.

Lieu added, “The American people, I think, are being fed up with what they see as a lack of action in Congress” on AI.

Research from Johns Hopkins University published last month found that a clear majority of respondents want regulations on AI, with nearly 80 percent saying they want guardrails on the use of the technology in the fields of medical care and therapy.

Later in the interview, Lieu praised Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) for introducing draft legislation for a national framework on AI last month.

“This is a very difficult area, and I welcome lots of members to delve into it,” he told Nazzaro.

However, Lieu took issue with the draft’s proposal to override state laws on AI model development for three years. The provision would not necessarily preempt state laws governing AI use after companies release their models.

“If you’re going to have a ceiling on preemption, then it needs to have not only a very strong federal standard, but also take into account that AI’s moving so quickly and we don’t even know what AI’s going to look like in two or three years,” he said.

“To me, it seems a little dangerous to have a ceiling rather than a floor,” on preemption, Lieu argued.

The draft “expressly does not preempt laws of general applicability, common law remedies, or laws regulating AI use or deployment,” according to a summary.

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