Congress wants to regulate AI. Big Tech is eager to help

WASHINGTON — 

Members of Congress want to regulate artificial intelligence, and Big Tech is watching — and lobbying.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) launched a major push on AI regulation late last month, promising his colleagues hearings and a series of “AI insight forums” that will bring top AI experts to Washington and eventually lead to the creation of draft legislation.

Over the next several months, members of Congress — only a few of whom have any technical expertise — will have to choose whether to embrace a strict regulatory framework for AI or a system that defers more to tech interests. Democratic and Republican lawmakers will have to grapple with the daunting task of learning about rapidly developing technology, and with the fact that even experts disagree about what AI regulations should look like.

California’s Silicon Valley-area members of Congress, including Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) and Anna G. Eshoo (D-Menlo Park), are caught in a particular jam. All three are Democrats and support the idea of regulating tech companies.

But those companies are the economic engines of the trio’s districts, and many of their constituents work in the industry. Move too slowly, and they could alienate their party’s national base — especially unions that worry about AI eliminating jobs. Move too quickly, and they could damage their standing at home — and make powerful enemies in the process.

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