Show-Me State Times

U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Ill.) have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at increasing oversight of advanced artificial intelligence systems. The proposed bill would establish a risk evaluation program within the Department of Energy (DOE) to monitor AI safety concerns related to national security, civil liberties, and labor protections.

The legislation requires developers of advanced AI systems to submit product information to the DOE before deploying new technology. According to Senator Hawley, "As Big Tech companies continue to develop new generations of artificial intelligence, the wide-ranging risks of their technology continue to grow unchecked and underreported. Simply stated, Congress must not allow our national security, civil liberties, and labor protections to take a back seat to AI. This bipartisan legislation would guarantee common-sense testing and oversight of the most advanced AI systems, so Congress and the American people can be better informed about potential risks."

Senator Blumenthal added, "AI companies have rushed to market with products that are unsafe for the public and often lack basic due diligence and testing. Our legislation would ensure that a federal entity is on the lookout, scrutinizing these AI models for threats to infrastructure, labor markets, and civil liberties—conducting vital research and providing the public with the information necessary to benefit from AI promises, while avoiding many of its pitfalls."

The Artificial Intelligence Risk Evaluation Act proposes several measures:

- Creation of an “Advanced Artificial Intelligence Evaluation Program” within DOE for evaluating advanced AI systems and collecting data on possible adverse incidents such as loss-of-control scenarios or weaponization by adversaries.

- Mandatory participation by developers in this program with requirements to provide requested information about their AI systems.

- A prohibition on deploying advanced AI systems until compliance with program requirements is met.

- An annual report from the Secretary of Energy to Congress recommending plans for federal oversight based on findings from the program.

Earlier in July, Senators Hawley and Blumenthal introduced other bipartisan bills focused on protecting consumer data rights and holding technology companies accountable for using copyrighted works without permission when training their AI models.