Schumer details how Congress can harness AI’s benefits

It was a speech outlining his vision for how Congress can harness the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and protect society from its “potential harms.” 

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.) on June 21 spoke on the topic of “SAFE Innovation in the AI Age” at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., his office said.

The Senate leader was joined by Manish Bhatia, executive VP of Boise, Idaho–based Micron Technology Inc., which is building a semiconductor campus in Clay, and Jonathan Adashek, chief communications officer and senior VP of IBM.

Schumer said that as AI transforms the world around us, leading manufacturers and innovators of semiconductor chips like Micron and IBM “will be at the center,” and the increased demand for their products will help “boost business” for the companies in the years ahead. 

Portion of Schumer’s remarks

In his address, Schumer outlined a two-part proposal to move the nation forward on AI: one part on framework, one part on process. 

“First, Congress needs a framework for action…what should our framework be? What issues within AI should we look at to prepare legislation?” Schumer pondered. 

After months of talks with more than 100 AI developers, executives, scientists, researchers, workforce experts, and advocates, Schumer shared his proposed blueprint for action.

He calls it the SAFE Innovation Framework for AI policy. 

“The SAFE Innovation Framework. I call it that because Innovation must be our north star. The U.S. has always been a leader in innovating on the greatest technologies that shape the modern world,” the senator said.

He went on to say, “But if people think AI innovation is not done safely, if there are not adequate guardrails in place, it will stifle or even halt innovation altogether. So it is SAFE innovation that we must seek.” 

Second, Congress will also need to invent a new process to develop the right policies to implement the framework. 

“AI moves so quickly and changes at a near exponential speed, and there’s such little legislative history on this issue, so a new process is called for. The traditional approach of Committee hearings play an essential role, but on their own won’t suffice. We will need help from creators, innovators, and experts in the field,” Schumer noted. “That is why later this year, I will invite the top AI experts to come to Congress and convene a series of first-ever AI Insight Forums, for a new and unique approach to developing AI legislation.”