The Senate Commerce Committee is prepared to move a long list of artificial intelligence bills at a July 31 markup, while Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) has also teed up the proposals as possible additions to the annual must-pass National Defense Authorization Act and a key software group is weighing in with its views on the wide-ranging AI bills.
The committee will consider over 30 bills in total at the markup, including more than a half-dozen focused on AI issues.
Cantwell and other senators have submitted most of the AI bills under consideration at today’s markup for consideration as possible amendments to the fiscal 2025 NDAA, which typically carries numerous non-defense policy bills on the House and Senate floor as lawmakers press to enact the massive Defense Department policy bill.
Inclusion in the NDAA would provide another vehicle for passage of the AI bills if Cantwell and other sponsors are unable to obtain floor time, which is a likely scenario considering the Senate’s tight election year schedule.
Among other AI-related amendments offered for inclusion in the NDAA, Senate Majority Leader Charles Shumer (D-NY) and Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) are pushing an amendment to protect from foreign threats “highly capable” artificial intelligence systems seen as crucial to U.S. security.
The AI bills to be voted on today in the Commerce panel include the Future of Artificial Intelligence Innovation Act by Cantwell, Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) and others that would authorize in statute the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s AI Safety Institute created by the AI executive order.
Senators will vote on the AI Research, Innovation and Accountability Act by Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) requiring the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop recommendations to federal agencies for risk-based guardrails on “high-impact” AI models and systems.
According to the Commerce Committee agenda, the panel will vote on the CREATE AI Act to establish the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource, or NAIRR, “as a shared national research infrastructure that provides AI researchers and students with greater access to the complex resources, data, and tools needed to develop safe and trustworthy artificial intelligence.”
That bill is sponsored by Heinrich, Rounds, Young and Sen, Cory Booker (D-NJ), plus Schumer.
The committee will also consider a bill by Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) on auditing the trustworthiness of artificial intelligence systems, known as the VET AI Act.
The markup agenda includes the Promoting United States Leadership in Standards Act by Rules Chair Mark Warner (D-VA) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) that would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in a report to Congress within one year, “to evaluate and identify opportunities for Federal Government participation in the development of technical standards for artificial intelligence and other critical and emerging technologies.”
From BSA-The Software Alliance
Several bills on the markup list have widespread support from the tech sector and other industries, such as those addressing NIST’s AI Safety Institute and the bill on NAIRR, though some still raise concerns.
BSA-The Software Alliance on July 30 issued a statement from senior vice president for global policy Aaron Cooper saying, “BSA appreciates members of the US Senate for their work to advance legislation intended to build trust in artificial intelligence (AI) and build the conditions for its widespread adoption. This week’s planned markup before the Senate Commerce Committee is noteworthy for its consideration of a series of legislative proposals explicitly related to AI. It builds upon the work of the bipartisan Senate Working Group on AI and seeks to translate learning into action.”
Cooper said, “There are commonsense and bipartisan opportunities for Congress to act on AI policy, particularly those bills that would spur AI research and development through the establishment of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR), and legislation to codify by law the work of the AI Safety Institute.”
“Other legislation that may be considered rightfully focuses on guarding against high-risk uses of AI; that can help to inform future legislative efforts in this space,” he said.
However, Cooper said, “BSA continues to urge Congress to pass legislation requiring impact assessments for high-risk uses of AI and establishing risk management programs. This workable approach generally aligns with the emerging policy consensus for how to best mitigate risks of AI, and national technology policies in the United States will provide clarity for companies developing and using AI.”
BSA is supporting the CREATE Act and Future of AI Innovation Act, while it has expressed reservations about the Hickenlooper-Capito VET AI Act and the Thune-Klobuchar AI Research, Innovation and Accountability Act.